The Imposter
by KarisunaHime
Summary: Someone with powerful magic posed as Squall and committed an unforgivable sin. Squall is forced on the run. But as he is running, a darker plot for the future unfolds, beckoning to him. What is his reason to fight this time? For peace? For HER?
1. Thoughts of a Crazy Wanderer

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 1

Thoughts of a crazy wanderer…

_My mother died…slain by the hands of a SeeD. And here I am, walking on the empty road, with no one to guide my hand. I was born a Sorcerer, and my mother had always told me to use it for a good cause. But mother had been acting strangely a bit recently before I heard the news of her death, but still, she was mother to me, no different. I don't know what to do without her guidance. My magic, the world, my life, they all seemed so meaningless._

_I had sworn to track down this SeeD, and to slay him by the bare palms of my hands. I want to take revenge for mother. What has she done wrong? I heard the SeeD himself said all grief was over and everyone cheered for him as he returned from the battlefield. But what grief? They all lied. Mother had never caused such grief. So today, I'm going to find out for myself, I'm going to confront that SeeD and to reveal his true face to the world. I can't let him live with such disgusting glory…_

_So today I'm coming after you…_

_Squ…a…ll…_


	2. Whatever Happens After

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 2

Whatever Happens After…

I'm coming after you… 

_Squ…a…ll…_

Squall Leonhart bolted from his bed, sweat dripping down the side of his face. It was the same nightmare again, that had once more disrupted him from his needed sleep. His hands groped around, squeezing the sheets on his mattress bed tightly, in order to calm his breathing. Running a hand through his silky brown hair, his piercing, cold blue eyes frowned in thoughts. Looking at his surrounding, trying to figure out if anything around could have caused the nightmares, but all he was able to see was the four walls of his private dorm in Balamb Garden, his desk in which his papers were still piled from last night, and his cabinet, in which an alarm clock rested upon. Sighing, he glanced to the alarm clock to discover it was already six in the morning. Throwing his sheets aside, he began to lower his feet to the floor. Getting up to his full height, he began to stretch and take a glance in the mirror on the left wall. The image that stared back at him was a tall, muscular, and proud looking man, but his face spoke something entirely different. In his eyes were the reflection of both distress and grief.

Ever since the day in which he returned from the fight with Ultimecia, his position as SeeD Commander seemed to rise over his head. Everyone admired him and looked up to him, even Seifer now was avoiding trouble with him. Rinoa was closer to him than ever, spending almost all of her time with him when he was not in his office. Selphie and Irvine had gotten closer to each other before anyone knew it. However, she decided to transfer back to Trabia to look after things and Irvine then gave up his place as sharpshooter in Galbadia to be with her. The couple still visited Balamb once in a while to check on how things were done. Quistis is no longer an instructor. Rather, she quitted her position in Garden and began a quest of her own. To search her soul and the world's soul, she had said. She also promised after she was able to understand life more, she would return. Quistis had changed completely. Cid and Edea are still close. Cid had invited his wife in as Headmistress of Garden, and the Orphanage now had became a sacred and memorable place in which all the ones who had spent their childhood there visited from time to time.

Laguna is still President of Esthar, and Ellone had moved in to help him with the small stuff, such as not so significant paperwork. She was there to help him too, when he came to confess to Squall that he was his father. Squall went into shock after that, and Ellone, being the big Sis she was, was by his side, comforting him and helping him swallow the news. It was still a bit awkward and uncomfortable between them, and Squall had never brought himself to call Laguna "father" or "dad".

Seifer had came back to Balamb Garden and made an official apology to all, bearing the humiliation and jeers that he received. After that though, he fled with Raijin and Fujin, no matter how much Squall and the Headmaster convinced he could stay, but under close watch. No one heard of him again ever since that day, but they are glad he is staying out of trouble.

Squall turned and picked up his clothes from the rack next to the doorway to his dorm. Quickly putting them on and straightening his hair, he turned to the right to enter the doorframe there that leads to his bathroom. After all morning business, he came out of his dorm at last, looking the hallway both sides for anyone in sight. Then realizing he was the first one up, he sighed and strolled to his office, which the Headmaster had hired some workers at Fisherman's Horizon to build for him on the second floor. The office is now as messy as it was nice before. He entered it slowly and breathed out as he took in his office surroundings. Papers, pencils, scraps of papers, broken pieces of pencils, and blotches of ink were all over the floor and on his desk. He smiled sheepishly and realized he hadn't kept his promise to be clean after all.

Squall sat down and began working. He shuffled between papers, some asking for his permission to do this and that, and some asked for his approval about some stuff, such as bringing back the Spring Festival. Thinking hard, he began reading the paper.

_Dear Squall Leonhart, SeeD Commander,_

_I am a new student at Balamb and a new member to the Garden Festival Club, I am really enjoying my time at Garden and I was wondering if we could get the Spring Garden Festival back since we sort of forgot about it ever since the chaos of Ultimecia. I am afraid to take it to the Headmaster, perhaps you could help me?_

_Sincerely,_

_Trainee: Laera_

Squall grinned with importance and began thinking about speaking to the Headmaster about this. Nevertheless, he was quite sure Cid would agree without questions.

Suddenly, a gentle knock at the door made Squall put down the paper.

"Come in," he said monotonously, wondering who would want to see him at this hour.

The door clicked open and standing there was a girl who looked no more than sixteen. Her long hair, tied in a high ponytail, was the most striking feature that Squall set his eyes on. It was pitched black but somewhere in between the strands were locks and waves of brown. Her large eyes were also another exclusive feature. Squall leaned back in his chair with surprise as he noticed that one orb of her eyes was light lavender and the other one was hazy pink. Shyly, she stepped into his office, her black boots clicked on the marble floor. Squall stood up and pulled a chair from the other end of his office and offered her a seat. Smiling shyly, the girl adjusted her pink skirt and tank top before sitting down slowly.

"Who might you be?" Squall asked curtly at last.

"I hope you've read my request letter," the girl spoke, her voice sounding like there are a choir of angels at her throat, "I'm sorry for bothering you so early, but I couldn't wait…"

"Wait…" Squall stopped her, "You're Laera?"

She nodded, smiling.

"Wow, I haven't seen such a beautiful trainee around for so long," Squall said, and then couldn't believe himself for saying it.

"Thanks," Laera blushed.

"So many students are applying for Balamb Garden now, I don't have time to meet person to person with every single new trainee anymore," Squall said, "I'm glad I get to meet with you."

"So about my request…?"

"Yes, I'll speak to the Headmaster about it," Squall nodded, "Take this as a yes, guaranteed."

"Yes! Oh, my gosh!" Laera jumped out of her chair, twirled around with excitement, then turned around and wrapped her arms around Squall, whispering a word of thanks. Blushing, she stepped back and ebbed out of his office. Squall, taken aback by her reaction, sat there, staring at the closed door.

_Dear Spirits, _he thought, _My heart belongs to Rinoa…_


	3. Return of Trepe

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 3

Return of Trepe

"She's back, she's back!" Zell, an energetic young man, ran down the corridor of the dorm area, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Who's…?" Many students' confused stares answered.

"Trepe, Quistis Trepe," Zell said, out of breath, "Where's Squall? He gotta hear about this?"

"What, Zell?"

Zell turned around abruptly, and Squall was standing there, looking at him in question.

"Squall, finally, you're out of your office," Zell said, rubbing his spiky blond hair as if fidgeting with excitement, "Quistis is back."

"What?" Squall asked.

"Yes," Zell nodded, then checking in his blue shorts' pockets for something, "Man, out of money, I was thinking of a big get-together somewhere today."

He turned to check his blue shirt's pockets but to no avail.

"Forget, where is she?" Squall asked, frowning.

"Speaking to the Headmaster as we speak," Zell said, "Rinoa is there to. And man, trust me, you won't recognize Quistis."

Squall turned, hurried to the elevator. His boots clicked on the marble surface of the floor, and as usual, students turned his way as he passed them. Finally reaching the elevator, he pressed the number for the 3rd floor, and waited patiently as the elevator hummed its way up.

As soon as he reached there, he quickly ran out and stepped into the Headmaster's office with haste, not caring for the traditional salute or upright stance in the presence of the Headmaster.

"Quistis, is she here?" he asked, eyeing around frantically.

"I'm here," a husky voice said from the far side of the room, and Squall's gaze averted to her suddenly.

There was Quistis, standing by the large window of the Headmaster's office that overlooked the ocean. Squall had to take a step back. Zell was right, he could hardly recognize Quistis. She had grown from a depressed young girl to a matured, striking young woman. Her blond hair was now no longer straight and smooth, but rather more wavy and funky. It had also grown to her knees, which proved she hadn't cut it once ever since she was away. Her eyes were still as blue as the day she left but now, they appeared more remarkable with a layer of dark makeup over them. Her bottom lip was painted blood-red. She was wearing a short orange shirt with matching wristbands. Finally, there was a large black belt that looped around her sagging orange skirt. It appeared the only things she did not change were her black boots.

"You can't be…Quistis…" Squall uttered out dumbly.

"Surprised to see me," Quistis spoke again, in the same husky voice.

"She changed quite a number, hasn't she?" an older voice spoke, and Squall turned his attention back to the middle of the room, where the Headmaster sat with his wife at a large wooden desk. On the desk, too, were pieces of papers scattered about.

"Headmaster, Sir," Squall saluted, but Cid dismissed the formality and smiled.

"Rinoa?" Squall turned as Rinoa began to approach him from behind the Headmaster's desk. Rinoa herself had changed quite a bit. The brown strand in her black hair did not fade, but her hair itself was now shorter. It wasn't layered, but cut in a funky style that resulted in some strands of the outer layer sticking out and the inner layer embracing her slender face. She also no longer favors the blue outfit she had worn before. What she wore now was a light blue spaghetti straps shirt and short black skirt that matched her high boots. Two armbands were strapped to the upper part of her arms.

"Hi, I see you're finally out of your office," Rinoa said, smiling, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Nobody noticed, but Quistis' expression darkened for a short moment.

"Hey, still a bookworm?" Squall said.

"Oh, whatever," Rinoa said, rolling her eyes, "And what are you, paperworm?"

"Very funny, but…"

"Whatever," Rinoa interrupted, "Let's at least get together at some place. Talk about old times, I already called Irvine and Selphie."

With a pause, she continued.

"You can't recognize Quistis either, can't you?" Rinoa giggled.

"Yeah, I mean, Quisty, what did you do?" Squall asked.

Quistis blushed slightly at the use of the nickname that she never heard in so long.

"May we be excused, Headmaster?" Quistis turned and asked.

"Sure, of course," Cid said, "But Quistis, are you joining us for good?"

"No," Quistis' expression saddened, "No, unfortunately, I still wasn't able to understand myself. I'm just here because I've missed home terribly…"

"I see," Edea said, "Please let me know if I can help with anything."

"Of course," Quistis nodded.

"You coming with us, Squall?" Rinoa asked, already out the door with Quistis.

"Actually," he said, "I got something to ask the Headmaster, you guys go get Zell, then I'll meet you at the front gate, and we'll wait for Irvine and Selphie there."

"Yeah, and we can talk about old times," Rinoa said cheerfully, then turned to Quistis, "And what Quistis had been doing."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Quistis turned back, "I must speak to the SeeD Commander."

"No need to get formal on me, Quistis," Squall said.

"But this is a formal matter," Quistis said seriously, "On my journey, I've ran across Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin. It seems they're organizing a secret movement of their own in a town in the Trabia Continent."

"That's funny," Rinoa commented, "I don't remember there's any town in Trabia except for the Shumi Village."

"That's why, Sir," Quistis saluted, "I think this is a matter to be investigated."

"Seifer had been out of trouble for a while," Squall said thoughtfully, "I say let's just leave him for the time being. It's never Seifer to live a normal life, is it?"

"True, Sir," Quistis nodded, then looked to Rinoa, "I'd like to be dismissed, Sir."

"Go ahead," Squall said, "Quistis, stop with the formality."

Silent, Quistis followed Rinoa into the elevator, leaving Squall alone to discuss his matter with the Headmaster.


	4. Unforgivable Crime

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 4

Unforgivable Crime

Squall shuffled out of the Headmaster's office as soon as he was able to talk about the matter that Laera had brought up. Cid had approved it, which Squall was confident will make Laera die with excitement.

_That girl is going to be so happy, _Squall thought with a smile.

Squall's eyebrows fused together in thoughts again as he remembered he had to make his way to the front gate. Then remembering what Rinoa had chided him about weeks ago about his bad habit of thinking too much, he laughed lightly and shrugged it away again.

Maybe some habits aren't meant to be broken…But still… 

"Squall!" a voice called to him, a high note of panic blended inside, "Squall! Come, quick!"

Squall stopped and looked up to see Rinoa running towards him. A panicked look clearly written on her face.

"Squall! Come quick!" she said, out of breath, "A new trainee was attacked on the Training Ground."

"What!" Squall asked, growing panicked himself, "By a monster?"

"No, not a monster," Rinoa said with fear, "And it also seems like whoever did this wants to kill her."

"It's a her?" Squall became outraged, "This is…unacceptable, murder in Garden, this had never happened…at least not to students…Nobody murdered each other in here."

"Just come, please, we need you at the scene," Rinoa began pulling him with her.

When arrived at scene, Squall almost keeled over and threw up. The Training Center was the same as always, with the musty smell of dirt and blood of the slain monsters. Grown trees and bushes overshadowed the fluorescent light that would be lit at night. However, now, the Training Center smelled of fear and terror. Something that had never happened before happened, and it wasn't supposed to happen either.

Lying on the blood-caked dirt of the Training Ground, and surrounded by Zell, Quistis, and many other trainees, was a female student with long, pitched black hair. Her eyes were half-opened, as if trying hard to hang on to life, revealing two pair of orbs of different colors. Squall's eyes opened wide in recognition.

"Laera!" he shouted, rushing over.

"Squall…" Quistis was the first to look up, "Who could have…? Have Garden grown so vicious the day I left?"

"Who could have?" Squall was speechless as he came closer and a few trainees moved out of the way, "Laera, can you hear me?"

Laera seemed to be in shock for a moment, for she was staring at Squall but did not answer or make any movement that showed she saw him there. Suddenly, a SeeD cadet ran in, saluted quickly, and made a quick report.

"Commander Leonhart, Sir," the SeeD said, "The front gates and back gates, or any possible entrances and exits were closed the whole time, for it is not yet time for opening. It's only 7:00, Sir, quite early. So we came to suspect that whoever did this must be someone from Garden."

"I don't believe this!" Zell said, standing up and waving his fists in the air with anger.

"Stop it, Zell!" Quistis shouted, "You're not making it any better."

"Guys, we gotta alert Doctor Kadowaki," Rinoa said, pulling out her handkerchief and staunching the girl's wound at her stomach with it, "Someone…"

"MOVE!" Squall almost roared with panicked, and a few trainees shuffled out along with the SeeD cadet. Turning back to Laera, he took her hand, "Laera, can you hear me?"

"Someone had attacked her really brutally," Quistis observed, "It's like from a blade…"

"Laera," Squall said again, and a gasp seemed to escape from the girl's throat. Then she began to whimper and thrash around weekly.

"Girl, tell me what's wrong?" Quistis asked, holding her arms down.

"H…im…" Laera said out between gasps.

"What?" Zell leaned in closer.

"H…i…m," Laera said again, a slight bit louder.

"Who?" Squall asked in confusion, "Who did this?"

"She's about to say something important, anyone have a recorder?" Rinoa looked around at the remaining trainees and asked with hope.

"Ma'am, I have one, but it's quite old-fashioned," one of the trainees spoke, "And it's filled with my rehearsal songs…"

"Doesn't matter," Rinoa said, and as the trainee handed it to her, she almost snatched it out of his hand like a hungry homeless person. Pressing the record button, she waited patiently.

"Y…ou," Laera gasped, then closed her eyes tightly as tears began to stream down her face unwillingly.

"Commander Leonhart?" Quistis asked, "That's ridiculous, dear. Did you have…a concussion?"

"No," Laera shook her head and breathed heavily, "He attacked me…I can't believe it either…He snuck on me and stabbed…me…I don't know…why…the Commander would… do…such…"

"Rest, Laera," Quistis soothed, holding her girl's head in her arms, "The stretcher will be here soon."

Quistis bit her lip as she knew even if the stretcher will be here soon, the girl wouldn't survive. The wound at her abdomen was quite deep, and it wouldn't stop bleeding no matter how hard Quistis staunched it. It appeared a side of her head was bleeding as well. Who was relentless, Quistis wondered.

"NO!" Laera yelled in anger, forgetting her pain for the moment, "He killed me…I'll die…and I want the world to know…he tried to kill me. Listen, the world, the…Great SeeD …tried to kill his cadet today! If you don't believe me, check the security cameras…check them, you do have them…do you? I pray to God you do…please don't let my…death…go to waste…Throw the bastard…of a Commander in…jail…"

Laera, having finished what she wanted to say at last, closed her eyes slowly. And gradually, her breathing slowed and stopped. Her head fell into Quistis' arms.

"She's…gone…" Quistis whispered. The room seemed to be frozen in time, then, for no one dared to move nor breath after the shocking event and after all the shocking things they have heard. Rinoa moved at last, as she had to press 'stop' on the recorder. Then she turned to Squall, with tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Tell me…you didn't…" Rinoa spoke, her eyes burning into Squall's with hope.

"I didn't," Squall said straight out without hesitation, "I didn't, I swear, I was with the Headmaster and in my office, that's the only two places I've visited today. For the love of…I didn't even go in the Training Center…"

"Squall, are you sure…?" Zell asked.

"You're doubting me?" Squall asked with shock.

"No…it's just, Squall," Quistis said, brushing back Laera's hair, "It's just…she was so sure you killed her. And she's a new trainee, and you don't know her either, do you? I don't see why she would want to frame you for anything…"

"You're doubting me," Squall stated.

"Squall, if what you said is true," Rinoa said, coming closer to link her arms with his, "Let's hope it'll be what we'll see in the security cameras…"

"Of course it's true!" Squall was furious, "This is Laera! I know her! She came to me about the Garden Spring Festival. She was a funky and energetic one, just like Selphie. I respected her need and I talked to the Headmaster to receive approval for her…I know her, why would I want to kill her for wanting to make a Festival!"

Squall turned, fists shaking with anger.

"I just met her this morning, too," he continued, "She was so innocent…Who would do this, who!"

"Squall…let's go," Rinoa said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Go by yourselves," Squall stated coldly, "Check the cameras for all I care. I…I gotta make sure Laera deserve a proper burial…"

With that, Squall ran out of the training ground, unable to look at Laera one last time.


	5. Loss of Innocence

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 5

Loss of Innocence

Squall ran out of the Training Center, heading straight for the front gate. He didn't care where he was going, as long as he was able to get some fresh air and his mind off the accused stares of his own friends, or at least, the people he naively thought of as his friends. Whatever this means, he did not care. He was more frustrated and angered at the fact that this was the first time any student in Garden was murdered deliberately by another one in Garden. Squall decided he was going to take this to Headmaster Cid formally later if his friends didn't.

"Squall!" a cheerful voice shouted.

Squall stopped his trace of thoughts, and looked forward to see a girl and a young man running towards him with excitement. Squinting his eyes, he tried hard to think through the familiarity of the two people.

The girl had short brown hair that bobbed on her shoulders as she took a step and sparkling green eyes that light up even when her lips weren't smiling. She was wearing a red miniskirt with unmatching green boots. Squall chuckled. It was always her to taste unique and interesting styles. The girl was undoubtedly Selphie.

The young man running close after her had on a long black overcoat, much similar to the brown faded one he was wearing during the Sorceress War. His shirt inside was a faded baby blue and it appeared he still kept his "cowboy" style by tucking his jeans inside his leather boots. The man was undeniably Irvine.

Selphie and Irvine ran towards Squall and Selphie, not wasting a second, jumped on Squall for a tight hug. Then she released him and looked him over. The Commander had definitely changed a bit himself. He no longer wore the fur-collared jacket anymore, but rather now, what he had on was a large black leather jacket and a thin shirt inside that hides his muscular body poorly. His leather pants were black, not surprising, so were his shoes.

"Commander Leonhart!" Selphie giggled, "Man, we came as soon as we got Rinoa's phone call."

"I heard Quistis changed a great deal," Irvine said, tilting his brown leather hat, "Now that's what I like to see."

"Nice to see you two again," Squall said, "Can't believe it, but I've missed you."

"Awww," Selphie said, "See, I knew you'd miss us…"

"Hey, ah, guys," Squall said, a tone of solemn in his voice, "We're actually not celebrating anything right now…Something happened…"

"What?" Irvine asked, jamming his hands in his coat pockets. Selphie's smile disappeared.

"A female cadet was killed in the Training Center," Squall said, eyes downcast, "And they're holding me as a suspect."

"What! Killed? Squall?" Selphie said, outraged, "You…You'd never do such a thing…?"

"Female?" Irvine asked, "Who'd go so low?"

"This is terrible," Selphie said, shaking her head, "This has never happened…"

"That's right," Squall nodded, "It never did."

"No, Squall, we hadn't come at the wrong time, and even if we're not celebrating," Selphie said, "We'll help you prove your innocence, alright? And whoever holds you for this anyways…?"

"The girl…before she died, she was really set on the fact that I killed her," Squall said sadly, "I…don't know why, but the others believed her."

"That's it?" Selphie asked, "That girl might be mentally crazy, you know?"

"I don't know," Squall said, "Quistis and the others are checking the security cameras in the Training Center right now…"

"Yeah, that'll show them," Irvine said, patting Squall on the shoulder, "They'll be embarrassed they ever suspected you."

Suddenly, a SeeD cadet ran from the inside of Garden to Squall, huffing and puffing, out of breath. Saluting, he began to make a report.

"Commander Leonhart," the cadet said, "Headmaster Cid would like to see you in his office."

"There you go," Selphie said, "Go on, Squall, we're right behind you."

"I hope so," Squall said, then followed the SeeD to the Headmaster's office.

Squall entered Cid's office with Irvine and Selphie trailing behind him. Expecting to see a group of apologetic faces, Squall was shocked to come face to face with a sea of grim-looking expressions.

"Hi, everyone," Selphie said nervously, then looked to Irvine to see him put an index finger to his lips.

"Squall, I'm afraid we have some grave news," Quistis was the first to speak, her husky voice engraved a feeling of pain in his mind.

"We checked the cameras, Squall, right after you left," Rinoa said softly, her eyes glimmering with tears as if apologizing, "And…"

She looked down the floor, unable to speak then.

"And what?" Squall asked, searching every face for an answer.

"And you were there," Zell said at last, then looked towards the window.

"What, that's…" Squall staggered back, shocked.

"Let's replay it," Quistis said, looking upwards the corner of the ceiling, where a small TV was wired there.

The screen flashed on. Squall held his breath as he watched, praying he was dreaming. The screen was of an overhead view of the training ground, and a girl with long black hair walked in, looking in all directions as if she was fascinated with the place.

"That girl's hot," Irvine whispered, only to receive a jab in the side by Selphie.

Then suddenly, on the screen, a shadow crept up to her and clamped a hand over her mouth. The girl struggled, spun, and kicked. Quistis pressed the zoom button on her controller then, and the view came closer to reveal the face of Squall Leonhart as he pulled out a Gunblade and stabbed her. As the girl crumbled to the floor, Squall Leonhart ran out, with blood dripping on his Gunblade.

"No…" Squall whispered as his knees buckled.

Selphie put a hand over her mouth, horrified. Irvine put his hands over her shoulder, comforting her.

"And also," Zell stepped forward, holding out an object, "I was given permission to search your room for this piece of evidence…"

Squall looked up, and what he saw horrified him. It was his Gunblade, dripping with fresh blood.

"Doctor Kadowaki tested it and identified it to be Laera's blood," Rinoa said in a whispery voice.

"No…" Squall said, pounding the floor, "No…this can't be true, I swear, I never did…"

"Squall, dear," Edea was by his side, helping him stand up, "Perhaps you need a counselor…"

"NO!" Squall struggled free from her, "No, I never done it. I'm not crazy, I don't need a counselor. Sel, Irvine, help me, you'd said…"

Selphie shook her head sadly, and Squall's heart sank.

"The evidence…is there," Selphie said, "I'm sorry, Squall."

"No…I swear, all I did in the morning is meet Laera for the first time, then I went to the Headmaster's office to see Rinoa and Quistis…" Squall pleaded.

"You met Laera for the first time?" Cid spoke up suddenly, averting everyone's attention on him, "Then you killed her?"

"No, I met her in my office, she knocked on my door," Squall said.

"I expect you to at least be truthful about this," Cid shook his head in disappointment, "But Squall, I expect you to be beyond all that. You killed a cadet student, then you denied and refused your crime…Squall, what you've done is unforgivable…"

"Cid! I thought you were like a father to me!" Squall shouted.

"What kind of father has a son who killed?" Cid asked coldly.

"No…" Squall leaned against the floor since his legs wouldn't support him, "I didn't do it…I swear…"

"The Gunblade, the camera? What else can you deny?" Quistis asked, "I came back to visit Garden, and this is how you greet a person who's like a sister to you?"

"What about us?" Selphie said, a hint of unrecognizable anger in her voice, "We came to visit you, and to celebrate, and this is how you…"

"According to Garden rules," Cid said, "You are no longer a part of Garden and we'll be forced to put you behind bars until we decide you sentence…But…"

Cid looked down.

"But…" Edea continued for him, "But since you've done so much for us in the past, and we've no idea how and why you would do such a thing as this…"

"I told you I haven't…" Squall started, and Edea raised a finger to silence him.

"We've decided since we owe so much to you, we will give you a five minutes head start," Edea said, "Instead of hitting you right here and carrying you to your cell in the prison, we'll have to track you down instead. Go on, run, Squall, and use your survival instincts, wits and abilities to survive and stay off our path. And perhaps we won't be successful in finding you. But remember…we have our own wits and abilities as well."

"But…"

"No buts," Cid said, "Your time starts now, Squall. Run…before we alert the whole world and track you down…"

"No…"

Quistis gave Rinoa a look and Rinoa swallowed her tears and nodded. She then stepped up to Squall. Squall, thinking she was there to comfort him or say otherwise about this whole decision, stood his ground and waited. Rinoa reached him, put a hand on his shoulder with a sad expression on her face. Then with a bite of her lower lip, she raised a hand and slapped him hard across the cheek. Stunned, Squall staggered back, out the door of the office, staring at her.

"Go, Squall!" Rinoa said, "Go! You're down to four minutes! Go, don't stand there and look at me after what you've done!"

Squall rubbed his cheek, close to tears. Then he turned and fled without looking back.

"Come on," Rinoa said, turning around, "We gotta alert Deling City, there's a criminal on the loose."

"And Timber too," Zell said.

"Winhill as well," Edea said sadly.

"Come one, Irvine," Selphie said, "We can't forget Trabia also."


	6. Standing with Him

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 6

Standing with Him

Laguna sat in his large office, drumming his fingers along his desk happily, forgetting about the paperwork in front of his face again. Ellone was only a few meters away from him, typing furiously on the laptop on her desk. Stretching and yawning, he leaned back in his chair and took a look around the technological room of Esthar. Sometimes, he found himself wondering over and over about how a forgotten and lonely city such as Esthar get its hand on such latest and most wonderful technological devices. Whatever the reason, he was glad to be their president. He got first hand information on all the latest inventions. Speaking of interesting inventions, he had one on his desk right now. It was a phone that transfer the speaker's image to Laguna and also let him know of their exact location on the small screen that connected to it. Further more, Laguna never had to pick up the phone to answer it, all he had to say was 'hello' before the phone automatically pulled the person through the line for him. It appeared this invention was made to aid Laguna's laziness.

Staring at the picture frame on his desk, his memories wandered again. The photo was of him and Squall, taken right after the ceremony that celebrated the Sorceress' defeat. Squall was so grown up now, Laguna couldn't be more proud. Fingering the pocket at the left chest of his blue T-shirt, he pulled out a much older, aged photo. It was of Squall, only about five years old, holding hands with his Sis, Ellone. Chuckling, he put the photo back in and closed his eyes, reliving the days and feeling guilt once more. Shaking his head, he stood up, dusting his black pants, though not necessary, and walked to the window that overlooked the entire city. Brushing the curtain of hair that fell over the right side of his face, Laguna looked down at his busy city, in which people never stopped walking and machinery and devices never stopped running. Sometimes, the scene reminded him of Squall, as funny as it sounded. Squall had and always been a workaholic, never stopping to enjoy the better side of life. He hadn't yet told Laguna too much about the young woman that stole his heart, Rinoa, but Laguna could guess she would be the one to show him the meaning of life without using a dictionary at last.

Suddenly, the phone rang, startling Laguna. Ellone spoke for Laguna first, for she glanced and did not see her Uncle in his seat at his desk.

"Hello," Ellone spoke as Laguna hurried back to his desk and nodded to Ellone, telling her he could take over now.

"Hello, is this Laguna of Esthar?" an elderly voice asked.

"Cid, is that you?" Laguna asked cheerfully. He was hoping after Cid said what he wanted to say, he could request to speak to Squall. He hadn't spoken to his son in weeks.

"Yes," Cid's picture popped on the screen along with his location.

_Balamb Garden, Headmaster's office…_the screen read.

"I'm afraid I have some grave news," Cid said, "It's about Squall."

"No," Laguna's mind went numb, "Is…Is he OK?"

From the corner of his mind, he saw Ellone stop typing and looked over with worry.

"He is now, I guess," Cid scratched his head, "But he won't be, since we all going to hunt him down. And I know you're his father and all, but by the rules, you have to help us?"

"What? I'm gonna hunt down my own son?" Laguna asked, angry and confused, "Get to the point, Headmaster, what's going on?"

"Your son," Cid said, "He had committed a murder on Garden grounds, and that is intolerable. He had fled, but we will track him down. We are now contacting over the world, Trabia, Galbadia, Deling, etc, to get their help. By law, if you are to see him, you can't see him as a son anymore, Laguna, he is a criminal that must be turned in."

"No," Laguna said, an urge to smash the phone welling inside him, "No, what are you talking about, Squall won't do such…!"

"Headmaster Cid, listen!" Ellone ran over, and spoke quickly and frantically, "Squall might be a jerk sometimes to his father, but I know he won't ever do such thing…I know this, please, Headmaster, I'm his sister…!"

"We have the evidence that spoke against him clearly," Cid said seriously, "Nothing you say can defend him."

"Headmaster, please," Ellone almost broke into tears, "He's my brother…isn't he like a son to you?"

"He's like a son to you, Cid," Laguna said, "But he's _my_ son…Please, consider this…"

"Like I said," Cid said, "We have every single evidence that spoke against him. I can't be soft on this. This is a serious crime. So when you see him, arrest him and alert us."

"Why call me?" Laguna shouted angrily, "Speak to Deling or Timber for all I care!"

"We think since you're his father, he'd most likely come to you first," Cid said.

"You dirty…!" Laguna began but Cid had already hung up, "You used this fact against him. Fine! When he comes, I'll order him away…"

"No, Uncle!" Ellone came, and pressed the 'hang up' button on their phone, "No, when he comes, we'll help him."

"Ell, you're right," Laguna slumped down on his chair, shaking, "Look like the whole world is after him, Ell. How are we gonna help him alone?"

"Uncle, we'll try," Ellone said, massaging her uncle's shoulders, "We'll try."


	7. Runaway

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 7

Runaway

Squall ran without stopping along the too familiar road that led to Balamb, tears flowing from his face. He hadn't cried in such a long time and he didn't care if he was now. Balamb Garden, the place in which he grew up and made so many successes in, now turned against him cold blooded. He was thinking about taking a train in Balamb that goes to Timber. If he did it fast, probably no one had received the news of his crime yet.

Arriving at Balamb, Squall stopped and leaned on the wall for support, out of breath from running and crying the whole way. Then remembering leaving all his money back at Garden, he slid down the wall, putting his face in his hands.

Damn… 

"Sir Leonhart?" a voice spoke from above him.

Oh, damn, they recognized me, better run… 

Squall looked up, expecting to see a menacing face ready to kill him, but instead, who he saw was a boy no older than fifteen, with drooping blond hair, freckled face, and blue eyes that are too pale. He was wearing clothes that are much larger than his body, making him appeared skinnier than he actually was, for his bones seemed to be visible through the fabric.

"Who…are you?" Squall asked, standing up.

"Sir Leonhart, I'm a student at Balamb Garden," the boy said, then dropped his voice to a whisper, "And I've heard about your…you know."

"So are you gonna take me in now," Squall asked, trying to stay calm as he realized he doesn't carry a weapon.

"No, Sir Leonhart, you are the reason I joined Balamb, I wouldn't turn you in cold blooded," the boy said.

"That so?" Squall grinned slightly, "You a new cadet?"

"Yes, Sir, I'm Lukre, nice to meet you, Sir," the boy smiled.

"What do you want from me?"

"I left in the morning after I obtained permission from the Headmaster to visit Balamb," Lukre said, "Then kinda later, my friend called me on my cell phone and informed me quickly of what Commander Leonhart had done. It is shocking, no wonder my friend called so fast…"

"And?"

"And now I'm here, since I know this is the only place you could've ran to before going anywhere else," Lukre said, "I have 3000 gil, in case you want it, Sir, since it doesn't look like you have enough for the next train to Deling."

"Deling? No, I'm going to Timber," Squall said.

"No, Sir," Lukre said, looking fearful, "Timber is too close, they'll get the news before you set foot there, and of course, you know what happens next."

Squall nodded, admiring the kid for being thoughtful.

"Go to Deling, Sir," Lukre continued, "It's farther, and I'll come back to Balamb to make sure they don't alert there."

"How?"

"I'm a sneak, Sir," Lukre laughed, "You can trust me. I'll cut all connections to Deling."

"How can I trust you?"

"You don't know, Sir," Lukre said, "It's either that or don't. Just know this, I've admired you for so long, let me make it up to you, Sir, because I know you didn't do it."

"All right, kid, forge over the 3000 gil, and I'll believe ya," Squall said, ruffling the kid's hair.

"Yes, Sir," Lukre saluted, then pulled out 3000 gil from his pocket, "Good luck, Sir…"

Squall nodded in thanks, and headed towards the train station.

Sitting on the train on the way to his escape, Squall had never felt so bummed in his life. Closing his eyes and remembering Rinoa's promise, his heart dropped some more.

No matter what happens, Squall, you'll always be with me… 

Squall smirked bitterly. So much for promise, he thought, staring out the window as the plains of Balamb faded out of view.

_Who knows, _he thought, _I might die somewhere and never see my home again…_

Oh, well, if they execute me, I'll ask for them to bury me in Winhill… 

Squall was startled suddenly for he realized that he was planning his death and burial when it didn't even happen. Shaking the thoughts aside, Squall sighed again and began checking his surroundings in the train.

In the far corner was a couple, snuggling close to each other and giggling. Squall closed his eyes and turned away, disgusted, but he couldn't help but listen to their conversations.

"Darlin'," the girl spoke, "How long you be away?"

"Honey, not too long," the young man replied, and a smooching sound followed, "I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Darling,"

"Oh, we've gone over this a million times, I need to do this, honey,"

"I know, darling, but…I'll miss you so,"

"Me, too, sweetcake,"

_(More kissing sounds)_

"I heard they got a lot of neat stuff in Esthar," the girl said, "Buy me something…you know, like a souvenir."

"What do you want?"

"Never mind, all I want is you, alright, just come back soon,"

Squall clenched his jaws and shut out the conversation. The train continued to roll on.


	8. Pondering over Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 8

Pondering over Decision

"I didn't think we'd have to resort to the slap," Quistis' voice was the first to speak.

"I…I didn't think so, either," Rinoa spoke up next, her voice breaking, "I didn't want to, either."

It was about an hour after Squall Leonhart had fled from Garden unwillingly and Headmaster Cid had held a formal meeting inside his office with all the SeeDs and SeeD cadets he most trusted and of the highest ranks. However, they seemed to get nowhere with Quistis, Zell, Rinoa, Selphie, and Irvine talking about Squall's escape.

"You, Quistis, told her to do that when he doesn't leave?" Selphie asked, shocked.

"Yes," Quistis nodded, guilty, "I had to, since I already knew beforehand he wouldn't leave. It's never him to flee, growing up with him in the orphanage gotta teach me at least that."

"I was there, too," Zell said.

"Yeah, but all you ever did was cry and bawled when Seifer get on your nerves," Irvine said, chuckling.

"Oh, shut up," Zell said, "And you, you were too busy chasing after a girl, what's her name? With the short, brown hair. And you described her as what, special?"

"Enough!" Quistis said, her commanding tone came on, startling the other SeeDs in the room who were dressed more formally in their black uniforms. For a moment before, they seemed to forget the attractive young woman in the room used to be a strict, stiff, and authorative instructor, "This is not helping, you guys are all off the subject. Now, why don't we hand this matter over to Headmaster Cid, see if he got something to say? Headmaster, Sir?"

Cid nodded, impressed at how Quistis still hadn't lost her touch as an instructor with glowing authority.

"You see here, as you've already heard through the intercom," Cid said gravely, "Your SeeD Commander, Squall Leonhart, had killed a female cadet in Garden. This is, as you all know, is an unforgivable crime and we will need the three Garden's decisions on his execution. Unfortunately, he had fled. We are in the progress of contacting every town and city in the world so they will aid us in tracking him down. Your job, my SeeD cadets, are to always be prepared, keep your eyes open. Be alert for any incoming messages, by a messenger by foot, by mail sent tied to the leg of a dove, or by an Air Soldier, those guys in Galbadia…anything, and be alert whenever Squall Leonhart is mentioned…especially when he shows up for real…"

Cid swallowed, realizing he was talking about Squall as if he was some serious criminal that murdered for all of his existence.

"That's it, any questions?" Headmistress Edea asked.

"Leonhart?" a SeeD with black hair asked, "The Squall Leonhart?"

"Meeting adjourned," Quistis said, disgusted, "All dismissed. If we're gonna have questions, let's not have them be so ridiculous. How many Leonharts are there?"

The cadets muttered and whispered among each other as they stood and filed out the door of the Headmaster's office. Zell and the rest remained. Cid heaved a heavy sigh as his office clicked shut.

"What are we to do?" Edea asked, putting hand on her husband's shoulder.

"I just talked to the President of Esthar," Cid said, "He's willing to stand against us if it means defending his son."

Quistis nodded with understanding even if Cid wasn't talking to her.

"I still can't believe…it," everyone turned at the fragility of the voice to see Rinoa leaning against the glass window, her face tears-streaked.

"This?" Selphie asked.

"I can't believe everything…I can't believe Squall would do this, or did he?" Rinoa said, "I'm just so confused…and guilty. I've told him before I'd stay with him no matter what happens…I never thought this would happen. And I was the one who drove him away too. What was I thinking? He's my whole life…He has…"

"Rinoa…" Quistis said, biting her lips.

"Still," Cid said, "The evidence spoke all against him."

"I dunno, you guys," Rinoa said, "Maybe…maybe…"

"What?" Zell asked, sitting flat on the floor on his bottom, looking tired and annoyed.

"Headmaster Cid," a small voice spoke at the door, and Cid nodded, motioning for Selphie to open the door and let the person in. Stumbling inside was a SeeD cadet looking so young Cid was unsure he should be ranked as a SeeD yet. Perhaps he was just a trainee of lower rank.

"SeeD cadet reporting, Sir, permission to speak," the cadet saluted formally.

"Go on," Cid said, too tired to be formal.

"I've heard about what Commander Leonhart had done, Sir," the SeeD said, "I was with Zell when he was granted permission to search the Commander's room for any piece of evidence, Sir."

"Is this true, Zell?" Cid asked.

"I dunno," Zell mumbled, "I asked a few trainees and cadets to help, I didn't even look at their faces."

"Go on," Cid said.

"I've found this tape, sir," the cadet reached into his large coat pocket pulled out a video tape labeled 'My Confession', "I believe it is the evidence we need."

Cid looked tiredly over at Quistis and Edea. When they both nodded and told him to go ahead and play the tape without calling over the other cadets, he nodded and told the SeeD cadet to hand the tape to Zell.

"Let me pop this baby in," Zell said, looking the tape up and down and then slid it into the VCR positioned right below the TV screen. He pressed play, and everybody gasped lightly as the image of Squall Leonhart popped onto the screen.

"_Hello, everyone,"_ Squall said, _"This is recorded right after I've done something I cannot believe I did. I've single handedly killed a female student in our Garden. I don't know why I did it nor do I remember how I did it. I probably can't say this out loud in front of public, so when given the chance to flee, I'll flee. If you ever come across this tape, then I guess you're sure I've done this, no doubt anymore. My apologies to all. When you catch me, lay me down with the harshest punishment and execution…_

_My feelings for everyone are still the same. Cid, Edea, you're still like a mother and a father to me. Quistis, you're still like a sister. Zell, Irvine, best of friends. Selphie, spunky little sister. Rinoa, I'll love you, always and beyond time. Please don't hate me for what I did. Ellone, too, my big Sis, take care of yourself, alright?_

_And lastly, Dad, President Laguna of Esthar, I owe it all to you. I don't hate you for telling me that you're my father too late. I just wish it could have been better. I remember all the nights that I was up, thinking about you and whispering the word 'Dad' over and over until it loses all meaning. I've never had a Dad before. Dad, take care of yourself and Ellone, and I'll be with Mom soon."_

The screen went black, and that was it.

Rinoa was the first one to crumble to the floor and broke down. Selphie turned to Irvine's shirt and wept into it. Quistis put her forehead into her palm, a remarkable resemblance to Squall. Zell sat flat on the floor, staring at the screen in disbelief. Cid and Edea just stared ahead like zombies.

"It can't be him," Selphie said, crying, "He did it, he confessed…"

"It's recorded right after the murder, he said," Quistis observed, "So he was lying all along that he didn't do it."

"Of course, criminals aren't going to say 'yes, I did it'," Cid shook his head.

"I don't believe it," Rinoa sobbed, "It sounds exactly like his tone of voice…even if a person disguised as him and said it, I would recognize it by the different ways they talk. But this…this is how Squall talks…he's…"

"Laguna should hear this, too," Edea said.

"Yes, that's right," Quistis said, "Laguna should, we should call him later and let him see this. He got a special phone of his…"

"This is a very valuable piece of evidence, Sir," the SeeD cadet said, saluting.

"Thank you," Cid nodded, "Now all we have to do is to track down Squall…"

"You wouldn't happen to know…?" Quistis started.

"I do, actually," the cadet said, "I saw Commander Leonhart fled out of here. I myself helped him take the train to Deling to escape."

"Escape?" Zell asked.

"I knew if he goes there, and if I tell you, he'll be as good as a rabbit in a bag," the cadet said, grinning.

"That's dirty, kid," Irvine said, releasing Selphie, "But still, it worked."

"So he's in Deling," Cid muttered to himself.

"You've been helpful, kid, a lot," Quistis smiled, please, "Who are you? Are you new here?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the cadet saluted, "Name's Lukre, Ma'am."

"Well, Lukre, thanks for being such a big help, how old are you?" Edea asked.

"Fifteen, Ma'am,"

"You do look a bit too young for your age," Edea observed.

"I know," Lukre said sadly, "I know, but I do have some abilities that make up for it."

"Yeah, the ability to play dirty and backstab others," Zell said, then smiled, "Just don't do it again, kid."

"I'll call Laguna now," Cid said, with pain in his heart, "Quistis, can you please contact Deling for me, make it fast, before Squall gets ahead of us."

"Yes, Sir," Quistis nodded, then walked out of the office and granted herself permission to use the computer in Squall's room.

_Deling, _Rinoa thought, looking up from the floor, _Deling? My father's the General of the army there…he'll tear Squall apart…!_


	9. Backstabbed

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 9

Backstabbed

Squall opened his eyes as he felt a jerk. The train had come to a stop. Sighing tiredly, he stood up, and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the couple earlier snuggling closer to each other, fast asleep. Their dreams will be long for it will be a long way before the train reached Esthar. Shaking his head, Squall stepped off the train, finally getting some fresh air at last.

Deling City itself had not changed much ever since the defeat of the Sorceress. Everything in the city was still as busy as usual, but buses running around the city nonstop. Cars were also squeezing by, with some angry and impatient people honking their horns and yelling out the windows. The lights that hung over the city were magnificent, which soon to look more glorious as night would come and they would cast colors over the city.

Putting his hands inside his pant pockets, Squall began his stroll to the Deling Bar for something to quench the screaming of his dry throat. Then perhaps he would go to a weapon store to model a new Gunblade. If he was going to run away, he at least have to defend himself. He knew even if he did get a new Gunblade, it wouldn't feel the same because his old one was the one that he had wielded for so long that it practically had his hands printed on the handle and the roughness of the handle engraved on his hand. Suddenly, before he was able to set foot on the busy streets, he was knocked down onto the pavement of the sidewalk by someone from behind.

"Stay down!" a blunt and deep voice spoke up. Nevertheless, Squall bolted up on his feet again anyways, and found himself face to face with a circle of grim looking faces staring at him.

He was surrounded.

_Damn, am I this bad at escaping?_

"What is this?" Squall asked, though he already knew too well.

"Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden, please stay still, or we will have to use force on you," a strict, authorative voice spoke up.

Squall whirled around at the recognition of the voice and met eye to eye with no one other than the very father of the rebellious Princess, Rinoa Heartilly. The man was General Caraway.

General Caraway, head of the army in Deling City and father of Rinoa Heartilly. Ever since he heard of Rinoa dating Squall after the Sorceress' War, he began to hate the SeeD. Though he never acted blunt or cranky in front of Squall, the way he spoke to the SeeD always spoke volumes of hate. For that reason, Rinoa ran away from home for good and stayed at Garden with her beloved.

"Nice meeting you under such circumstances," the General smirked, the wrinkles at his eyes showing, "Heard of the crime you committed. Knew all along you were only blinding my daughter. Maybe now she'll open her eyes."

"General Caraway," Squall said, "I didn't do it…"

Squall then stopped, realizing he was singing the same song over and over ever since the crime was discovered. If his friends didn't believe him, he didn't think this General who hated him so much could ever buy his story.

"So, still denying until the end, are we?" Caraway grinned.

"General, but this is Deling," Squall suddenly remembered, "How did you know?"

"How did I know?" Caraway asked, "Silly question, my boy. The Garden communicated with me of course. Don't blame them, even if you're the Squall Leonhart who saved us all, you're a still criminal in their and our eyes now."

"Lukre…" Squall muttered under his breath.

Lukre…that bastard, he backstabbed me… 

"You said something?" Caraway asked.

"No, Sir," Squall muttered, "What do you want with me now?"

"The execution is still for the three Gardens over the world to decide," Caraway said, "But in the mean time, I can have fun with you."

"Sir…?"

"Balamb Garden said they want you back to them as soon as you're captured," Caraways nodded, "They never said anything about your condition…"

"Sir…?"

Caraway flicked his head, then Squall heard light footsteps behind him. Before he was able to turn around, something rough and blunt smacked across his head. His knees buckled and as the world spun around him, his last thoughts were of the faces of Rinoa and the ones he considered at friends back in Garden. However, the one that stood so clear and yet so confusing at the same time in his mind was Lukre.

A pounding headache was all he was able to register as his mind slowly came to. Realizing he was awake but his eyes had not yet open due to the pain in his head. When he finally decided to open his eyes, the first thing he saw was a swirl of spinning darkness in front of him, driving him more nauseated. Groaning, his hands groped around to find a surface of cold, hard concrete.

_A cell,_ Squall thought, _I must be in a prison or dungeon or some sort._

Squall sat up slowly, feeling in front of him for anything solid. Finally, he opened his eyes, and due to the previous experience, he did it more slowly this time. The darkness before him now was dancing back and forth but no longer swirling in dizzying combinations. Feeling the back of his head for any blood, he was relieved when he found none.

Eventually, the darkness evaporated, revealing a dim area of the dungeon that he was thrown in. Everything was built out of solid cheap concrete except the bars that separated him from the pure and the tainted. He sighed and sat back against the wall, going into a haze of thoughts again that wasn't doing anything good for his aching head.

_What have I done to sitting here? _He wondered, _This cell is so cold and empty. I hate this…If only…Sis was here, or Laguna, damn, I'm desperate…_

Suddenly, light rushed into the dungeon and Squall realized someone must have opened the main door somewhere nearby. The bars of his cell rattled open and a large body stepped in, blocking a great portion of light. As the body came in closer, Squall was able to dimly see the shape of a rugged beard around the man's face, and a large earring pierced in his right ear. Everything else was blocked by the darkness that seemed to be growing around him every second.

"So this is our prisoner," the man spoke, his voice sounded rough, as if he used to scream so much it damaged his voice box.

"What are you gonna do?" Squall asked, looking up without fear or the thought of trying to hide.

The man seemed to be staring at Squall for a moment. Squall couldn't tell due to the lack of light. Then suddenly, a fist was delivered to his stomach, resulting in him crumbling over the floor and gasping in pain. He couldn't breath awhile, and as one hand held his stomach, his other hand scraped the floor, gritting his teeth in an effort to let air rush in.

"I'll be the one askin' the questions around here," the man said.

After a few moments of Squall gasping on the floor, the man scratched his beard and continued.

"Hello," he said, "I don't believe I've introduced myself. I don't care about you, of course, but you have to know my name since that's what you're going to address me by. I'm Rar, Deling's only and most famous executioner. Don't worry, I'm not here to execute you. General Caraway believed Garden had requested him to gather as much information from you as you are captured. However, the General doesn't seem to recall how the Garden wanted it to be done, so we're doing it our way."

"Your…way?" Squall asked, breathing at last, though gasps of air came in too fast to swallow.

"Yep," the man said, "The old fashioned way. You talk or…Oh, you know what I'm saying. You look like a smart boy. So first now, let's start with the easy stuff. After the Sorceress War, what intentions did you have in mind?"

"You have no right to be asking me," Squall said, forgetting to breath, "I feel violated answering questions such as these. What I planned to do was my own and personal business. You think I'm really going to tell you my private life?"

Silence. Then suddenly, a crack of whip was heard in the darkness, followed by the pained screamings of Squall Leonhart.


	10. Pieces of the Puzzle Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 10

Pieces of the Puzzle Revealed

"THAT'S NOT MY SON!"

That was all President Laguna was able to burst out of his chest before he slumped into his chair with fatigue and anger. Ellone pressed the hang up button instantly, disconnecting Cid from the other line, then rushed over to her Uncle.

"Uncle Laguna, calm down," she said gently, starting to massage his neck.

"Ell, sweetie," Laguna said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "That's not my son."

Ellone was quiet.

"Ell, you still listening?" Laguna asked, "That's not Squall."

It was getting chilly and in the distant, the sun had begun to set, signifying the end of the day. However, to Laguna, it seemed as if it was taunting the end of his son. He had believed from the beginning his son was innocent, and now it appeared he was right. But this was one of those moments in his life that he hated being right.

"Uncle Laguna?" Ellone whispered, "Tell me why you think that's not Squall, then I'll tell you my reason."

"You think that's not Squall, too?" Laguna said, "Oh, thank God…I'm not going crazy…"

"What's your reason?"

"Squall…would…" Laguna lowered his head, his voice choked as if someone was preventing him from talking, "Squall would…never call me…Dad…"

Ellone was quiet, but she gave a slight nod as her eyes started brimming with involuntary tears. She lowered her head and buried it into Laguna's neck.

"I thought the same thing…" she said.

"Ell…" Laguna reached up a hand to lift up her face, then stood up and pulled her into a hug, "Uncle's here, it's alright."

"No, Uncle, I'm OK," Ellone sniffed, "It's you…I'm worried…"

"Oh, me," Laguna said, scratching the back of his neck, "Me, oh, yeah, I'm a bit down…I know, but…I got used to it, I guess."

"But Uncle, you are his father," Ellone said, "You do have the power over him, you know?"

"I…can't…" Laguna said sadly, "What kinda father forced his son to acknowledge him?"

"Laguna, I'm terribly sorry," Ellone said, "This is…"

"Hey," Laguna said, wiping away Ellone's tears, "No more crying, alright? We'll tell Cid, they'll tell whoever it is they need to tell, then we'll free Squall."

"But he's on the run…?"

"Oh, that's right," Laguna said, "Oh, no, but still, we should talk to Garden so they could stop sending out messages that threaten my son."

Ellone nodded, wiping her tears and walking over to her computer.

_This was quite fast_, Laguna thought, _Perhaps my son will return to me after all…Man, his Daddy should know he wasn't born to be a criminal…can't even stay on the run for more than a day…_

"Uncle?" Ellone asked.

"Yeah?" Laguna asked, startled.

"Are you sure about this?" Ellone asked.

"I'm already sure from the beginning, Ellone," Laguna said solemnly, "My son would never commit a crime, and he…would never call me Dad either…"

Rinoa wandered around in the Training Center, not for the purpose of training or disturbing any monsters. All she wanted to do was to think about the cruel things that fate had played on her. After the Sorceress' War, she was planning and hoping for Squall to take her hand in marriage one day, but now, everything was falling apart, and she was left without the heart or courage to move on with another man. But even if there was another man, she was sure he would never be able to understand her soul just as Squall did. With that thought mentioned in mind, she suddenly felt guilty again. She was the one who promised that she would try her best to understand his soul and guide him through the difficult course of life, but now, before even trying to understand him, she had smacked him and sent him away.

Stopping by the small bridge, Rinoa knelt down, stared at her reflection in the flowing water and began to wonder where Squall could be now. He was on the run but where had he stopped? Wherever it was, was it safe? What about him, was he hurt?

_Is he even alive now?_

Shaking her head, Rinoa forced the thought away.

_Of course he is alive, he promised to always be with me…_

_But what about me…what about my promise to be there for him…_

Looking up to the starlit night above, a trail of tear rolled down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she quietly made a wish.

_Please, let him return safe…wherever he is…I don't care if he's a murderer, he's my Squall…_

Staring down at her reflection again, Rinoa allowed a tiny smile to cross her face, because now a tiny spark of hope lingered in her heart, granting her the strength to await his return.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, footsteps that were too familiar. Before she could turn around, the person was able to squat down beside her, smiling with pure happiness.

"S…Squall?" Rinoa asked.

_This has got to be an illusion…_

"Hello, Rinoa," Squall said, looking down at her reflection in the water.

"Squall, I thought you were…?" Rinoa said, shocked.

"You thought wrong," Squall said, looking at her, "I had to go back because I can't stop thinking about you."

"No, Squall," Rinoa said, frantic, "No, they're hunting you down. You gotta go…"

"Shhh," Squall said, holding her hand and leaning in closer, "Don't say anything more…The Gods have heard your wish tonight…"

"My…wish?" Rinoa asked, shocked. Then suddenly remembered what she was doing a few minutes ago, Rinoa smiled sheepishly and looked down.

"I'm back here with you, and safe," Squall said, "Please don't worry anymore…I'm here now…"

Then before she knew it, Squall had swept her into a hug like none she had ever received from him.

"S…Squall?"

"I don't care whatever they do to me…as long as I am able to hide and be with you," Squall said.

"Oh, Squall…" Rinoa said. Suddenly, the powerful magic that backed up her abilities as a Sorceress began to ache within her, telling her something was wrong. However, it was her heart that was acting for the moment, not her mind. But still, she was cautious, "Are you really Squall? How…do I know?"

"How about this?" Squall said, "Remember when we were in space, and I couldn't stand losing you, I had to come out there…?"

"Oh…" Rinoa blushed.

"I was able to bring you in and into the Ragnarok…" Squall said.

"Yeah," Rinoa nodded, "And I asked you for a hug then, remember? That was the first time I asked you for one."

"Yes," Squall said, "And I think it was after that hug that I realized my feelings for you. You know, just holding you in my arms…"

Rinoa's eyes widened in shock.

_This…is not Squall…_

_I must act normal…_

"Oh, yes," Rinoa said, uncomfortable, "Look, um, it's late, since you've just returned from a long run, you know, why don't you go to your dorm and rest…I'll be there…"

"Why leaving so soon?" Squall asked, "I thought you want to be with me?"

"Um, you know, I need to freshen up," Rinoa said, "See, I can't kiss you when I smell like food from the cafeteria."

"I…guess I still have a lot to learn about you," Squall chuckled, "But before you go, I have a favor to express to you."

Rinoa swallowed.

"Go ahead," she said, trying hard not to shake.

"Rinoa, I have a very difficult task to do tomorrow morning," he said, "You see, I kinda took this job as a mercenary when I was on the run…and I heard there's some kind of creature deep in the sewer of Deling. In all of the ones who bravely came in, no one was able to emerge yet. The people of Deling are scared, and they hired me to defeat it…"

"Squall, you'll get hurt," Rinoa said, then almost slapped herself.

_This is not Squall…_

"Don't worry about me," Squall said, "What I'm worried about right now is the lack of magical power I have. Please, Rinoa, let me borrow your magic for one day."

"My…Sorceress magic?" Rinoa asked, surprised.

_No way!_

"Yes, just for one day," Squall pleaded, "I need to help the people of Deling."

"Deling, isn't that where my father…?"

"Your father met me," Squall nodded, "General Caraway, isn't it? He heard of my crime but in exchange of slaying this beast, he'll set me free…"

_Now this is ridiculous…_

"How about I go and freshen up," Rinoa said, "I'm tired right now, so my magic is not good at this moment. How about early in the morning, before you go, talk to me…"

"No, I need it now!" Squall said.

"No, really, you need rest," Rinoa said, backing out of the Training Center.

"Rinoa, you…please…" Squall said.

Rinoa started running.

"You silly girl! Get back here!" Squall shouted, then chased after her.

"No, stay away!" Rinoa said, then turned and shot a fireball into Squall's chest. Taken aback, Squall flew back and slammed into the bushes of the Training Center. Taking the advantage, Rinoa ran quickly out of the training grounds, shock still written on her face.

_There's an imposter in the Garden…!_

"Quistis! Zell! Selphie! Irvine! Anybody!"


	11. Clash of Lion, Angel, and…Instructor?

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 11

Clash of Lion, Angel, and…Instructor?

"Quistis," the young man said, his eyes bored into hers, "You are a perfect vision of beauty…"

"Zaer, I've had enough of your compliments," Quistis said without blushing, "I just want to be your friend. Please do not push it."

"Ah, shucks, Quistis," Zaer said, leaning back on the bench, "You know you're denying me 'cuz you can't have me."

Quistis sighed and shook her head. It was night, and it was only this morning that Squall was forced to be on the run. To Quistis, it seemed like days ago. Every waking moment in the Garden without his face was slowly biting at her heart. She was only able to confess to herself, and no one else, that the reason she returned was she had missed him dearly during all those times on the hazardous road. Thinking back, she thought maybe she was too harsh on him.

… _this is how you greet a person who's like a sister to you!_

Her heart winced as she remembered to clearly the exact words that she had shouted at his face before his departure. But then, again, she thought, why would he do such a thing? Wandering around the Garden and running into may Trepies who still hadn't forgotten her, Quistis pondered over Squall and what he did. However, she began to realize running into and talking to all these Trepies were not doing her any good. The one sitting on the bench in the hallway right now was no exception. His name was Zaer, a newbie, a SeeD cadet.

"It's almost curfew," Quistis said tiredly, "Go to bed, Zaer."

"Oh, you want us to get in bed now?" Zaer asked.

"You!" Quistis' face ignited red with anger, "You little cadet, report to your dorm, now!"

"Alright, alright!" Zaer stood up with his hands in front of his face, as if shielding himself, "I'm going, here, look, I'm walking."

Quistis sighed, looking at his retreating figure until it disappeared in the elevator. Slumping onto the bench he was sitting on before, Quistis closed her eyes for a brief moment, refusing to go to bed until she heard any news about Squall. After all those years, she was not going to deny that she still cared for him. He had began to appreciate her sisterly love, but the truth was, she did not, and never did care for him as a sister.

_It was something else…something he'll never understand…_

"ZELL! IRVINE! SELPHIE!" a voice suddenly ran through the quiet, empty hallway of Garden, "QUISTIS!"

Quistis stood up in a blink, eyes opened wide and alert. Obviously, the person who was in need of help had to know her or Irvine, or Selphie, or Zell to be screaming their names like so. Reaching her hand to her belt and finding the whip she attached there, she yanked it out and smacked it hard against the floor once, creating a deafening cracking sound. Not hesitating, she began to run forward, ears perked if the person was to scream again.

"QUISTIS! THANK GOD!" the voice sounded closer, and apparently, the person had already spotted her before she did. Following the source of noise towards the direction of the training center, Quistis held her whip at the ready, prepared to strike anyone in the way.

When she was about to make a turn into the hall of the training center, a flash of light blue rammed into her and toppled her over on the floor. Lying on the tile on her back and blinking in confusion, she was face to face with Rinoa's wide, frantic eyes. The grip on her whip tightened.

"Rinoa…?" Quistis asked as Rinoa stood up and dusted herself, "What are you…?"

"Quistis, Squall's in the training center!" Rinoa said frantically, her eyes filled with fear.

_Squall? In there? Why are you running from him then? I thought you were supposed to get married and live happily…_

"Quistis, you still with me?" Rinoa asked, offering Quistis a hand, "Sorry for knocking you down. Squall's in the…"

"Don't worry about it," Quistis said, taking Rinoa's hand and hoisted herself up, "So why are you so scared about Squall being in there? You think he's gonna kill you like he killed that female cadet?"

"No, you don't understand," Rinoa said, "It's not him."

"What, I don't understand you," Quistis sighed, releasing her grip on the whip, "One minute you said he's in there, and the other you said it's not him."

"Yes, he's in there, but it's not him," Rinoa nodded.

"Explain yourself," Quistis said, folding her arms across her chest.

Rinoa looked frantic, at a loss for words, words that will make Quistis understand. Rinoa grew nervous then, under that commanding and firm gaze of Quistis, telling her she was not going to buy anything Rinoa threw at her. Rinoa opened her mouth to begin the long explanation when out of nowhere, a bolt of thunder struck down, hitting with accuracy at the tile in between Quistis and Rinoa, harming neither of the girls. Whoever did this must have wanted their attention rather than their lives.

"It's him!" Rinoa shouted, jumping back.

Quistis turned towards the direction of the training center, as just as Rinoa had screamed at her, Squall began to emerge. Quistis gasped, staggering backwards. The expression on Squall's face was none she had ever seen on him before. It was murderous, almost with a hint of wanting to spill some blood and guts. He was not holding his Gunblade, but rather, his right hand was outstretched with black smoke gushing from it as if he had just cast a powerful spell.

"Squall, what are you doing!" Quistis screamed, stepping up in between him and Rinoa, and spreading her arms wide.

_I won't let anything happen to Rinoa…I know it'll break Squall's heart. I'd rather not have him than see him in pain._

"Squall, stop this!" Quistis demanded.

"Quistis," Rinoa said, "It's not Squall."

"What are you talking about?" Quistis said as Squall advanced closer, "Never mind that, you can still fight, right?"

"I didn't spend all those times eating popcorn," Rinoa joked.

"Alright," Quistis said, "This is just one of those times where your friend got controlled by some evil force. This is like same old, same old, like how Seifer was manipulated…"

_Seifer?…I wonder how he's doing now? Damn, I really want to know, but without Garden's permission, I can't go and investigate what he's up to…_

Shaking her head to clear the irrelevant thought out of her mind, she turned again to Rinoa.

"You have your weapon with you?" Quistis asked.

"What are planning to do?" Rinoa asked, and Squall raised his hand again.

"Hurry, he's gonna cast more spells," Quistis said firmly, "We're going to attack him to pull him back to his senses and find out who's doing this."

"I don't have my weapon with me," Rinoa admitted, "But I can use magic."

"He's using magic, magic and magic don't mix," Quistis said, "We're gonna bring down the whole Garden if we keep casting things at each other. Remember, we're in the hallway and we can strike down a wall easily with thunder. Go, hurry, get your pinwheel or something."

"I don't use a pinwheel anymore," Rinoa said as she started to back up slowly and waited for the right moment to dash to her room, "I use a…"

"I don't care what you use," Quistis said, holding her whip in two hands in front of her, "Just hurry before I get fried."

Rinoa nodded and turned, running for her room.

?lt;/p>

"Hey, what do we do now?" a small, thin-formed soldier stood up and turned around to ask his superior.

"What now?" the person sitting in the far corner of the dungeon asked.

The dungeon was still as dark as ever, oblivious to the sun rays of dawn that burst outside. However, now, with the odor of foul blood and sweat mingling together, the executioner of Deling had allowed the latch of the main door to be released, letting wind pass through, and perhaps allowing a bit of light.

In the patch of small light, the small soldier saw the executioner of Deling, Rar, rub his beard again as he stood up heavily.

"He wouldn't wake up, sir," the soldier reported, then walked over to the far end of the wall, making way for Rar to enter the cell.

"You tried everything?"

"Smelling herbs, hot patch of cloth of his forehead, bandaging to slow the blood loss, and blankets to keep him warm at night," the soldier said, "But since he passed out last evening, he still hadn't woken."

Rar thumped his way into the cell, which was darker than the far corner in which the patch of light rested upon. The cell was beginning to smell worse with the amount of blood and sweat spilled on the damp, musty floor. Rar scratched his hardened beard again before looking to the soldier.

"Run and get me a bucket of ice," he ordered, and the soldier saluted and ran off without another word.

Rar rested his hand upon his chin as he looked upon the still body on the floor of the cell.

"It only been a day," Rar said, "Have I been that brutal? Man, I hadn't executed anyone in so long, I guess I got carried away."

The soldier came back almost instantly, with a full bucket of ice that looked too heavy for him to carry.

"Sir, may I ask?" the soldier asked as he handed the bucket over, "What have you done?"

"To tell you da truth, I don't remember," Rar said, then hacked a laugh as if it was the funniest thing.

"Looks bad," the soldier cringed as he asked, "You think he'll d…?"

"NO," Rar roared, startling the soldier, "Course not, he apposed to leeve so we, uh, can bring him, back to his Yard."

"Garden, Sir,"

"Same thing," Rar said, then squatted down and dumped the full bucket of nice without gentleness on top of the body, "You're dismissed."

The soldier saluted, but held on for a second longer, as if to watch if anything should happen. But fearing of being slaughtered himself, he quickly scurried away after no more than two seconds.

"C'mon, now," Rar said, "We stopped yer bleeding, could ye be more of a wuss?"

The first thing Squall was able to register again was pain. It was beginning to become his wake up call everytime he emerged from his unconscious mind. His head began to pound mercilessly and every bone in his body started to ache. It even hurt to twitch a finger, so therefore, he decided to lie still and try to register an upcoming command. It seemed that was all he was able to do lately.

"You awake?" An idle, but rough voice spoke, making Squall open his eyes a bit, trying to take in his surrounding, which was rocking back and forth.

Rar's face came into view.

Squall closed his eyes again.

"You…here…to torture…me, again?" Squall asked.

Surprisingly, Squall heard Rar's hand moving around his body, as if scraping something off. The clinking of objects around him made him wonder.

"What's…on me?" he asked.

"Ice," Rar said, and strangely, this time, without any venom in his voice, "Used it to wake ye up, Commander."

"Ice?" Squall asked, "Why can't…I…feel it?"

Rar was slightly shocked.

_Damn, he's so numb he can't feel, _Rar thought, _Damn, I've gone too far, definitely._

"Ah, don't worry," Rar mumbled.

"Why…are you…doing this?" Squall asked, opening his eyes a bit.

"Don't move," Rar said, "I've figured I've done enough, and since, ye not going to answer anything I asked ye…I'm gonna have to hand ye over to your Yard at last."

"Garden…" Squall coughed.

"Whatever, boy," Rar said, "The Garden will pick you up sometime this afternoon, and whether you live or die is entirely upon them."

"So…you're done with me? Like a damn toy?" Squall asked, "And now you're going to let…someone else…play with me?"

Squall grunted and tried to sit up, but failed miserably. He turned his head sideways and choked up blood.

"Easy," Rar said, "I'm not tryin' to be soft on ye, but since I'll hand ye over to the Garden, I gotta make the package at least look nice."

"Damn…you," Squall muttered, his ribs hurt as he took in a deep, angry breath.

"Listen," Rar said, leaning in closer, "I did go too far on torturing ye…uh, you, but don't think I'm soft when I admit this. I'm gonna leave ye alone for now. Stop moving and turning, ye'll rip yer bandages on accident."

"No…"

"What do ye want? Ye can't expect any fancy treatment, ye a criminal,"

"I swear…I'll…" Squall said, then stopped stirring around. His eyes closed and he passed out again.

Rar shook his head and stood up. Upon departing, he locked the cell and closed the main door, sending the dungeon into eternal darkness once more.

_Master…_

_Master…Please awaken…_

Squall opened his eyes slowly and unwillingly. The pain his body had now decreased to a dull, numb feeling do the amount of ice poured on him. Turning his head slightly to see if anyone was in the cell with him, he discovered he must have been hearing things due to his headache. The cell was still as empty as when he had passed out, and it did not look like anyone was sitting in the corner, talking to him.

_Damn_, he thought, _Am I still gonna live? No, I can't think like this…I gotta live, maybe just another day, or another minute, I want to see her face again…I wanna see Rinoa's eyes again._

Shaking his head and closing his eyes, he began to try hard to think of a way to plead to the Garden and make them believe him about the whole ordeal.

_You can't, Master…you've already tried._

Squall's eyes shot open, and he began to sweat slightly. Naturally, he was not afraid of monsters or living spirits for all that matter, but at this moment, he was helpless. He could not move a muscle to wipe the sweat off his face, let alone getting up and fight whatever mysterious being that was talking to him.

_Don't fear me, Master…I'm at your service. And no, I won't hurt you._

"What's going on?" Squall asked, relaxing a little, "Who…are you?"

_**Master, I am…Griever…**_

****

**_AN: Hey, ah, sorie 4 takin' so long. My computer was goin' stupid 4 awhile. But I think it's good now. Apparently, 'cuz i got dis chapter up and runnin'. Review!_**


	12. Griever

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 12

Griever

"Griever?" Squall muttered to himself, "I…I must be…really hearing things…"

_No, Master, please listen. You are not hearing things…I am really here…I am the Great Griever…_

"Griever?" Squall asked, "I did defeat you at the Ultimecia fight, did I not?"

_Yes, Master, and by defeating Ultimecia as well, you've released me from her blind control. You see, Master, I only serve the strongest of being and Ultimecia was one. But after her defeat, I've realized strong does not mean only power but with the heart and the mind as well…_

"Heart and mind?" Squall said, "That's not me…I've always been weak…You should not count on me. So much has happened in my past, I've been hurt many times…that's why I'm not strong now…"

_But Master, you are. It was your will to survive all those and your will to still be with your friends and protect them now…and even now, you're not blaming your friends for throwing you in here. Your heart is really strong, Master._

"My heart…strong?" Squall whispered to the darkness, unbelieving.

_Yes, Master, and therefore, I've come to you…I'm sorry it had taken so long to track you down._

"This is no joke, right?" Squall asked, "You're here…to help me?"

_Yes, Master, I shall now be with you, within your spirit and your soul._

"Spirit and soul?"

_Yes, Master, so I could be with you all the time without taking over your mind and the memories you cherish._

"OK," Squall said, "So how…are you…going to help me outta…here?"

_I find it difficult due to the condition you're in, Master. If you were fine, I'd be right behind you when you bust out by the main door, eliminating any threat in your way._

"So you can't…then?" Squall asked, disappointed, "That's alright…If I live through this ordeal, you…can help me with…other things…"

_No, Master, if I can't help you, I wouldn't be here. Or even if I really could not, I would never leave you behind._

"So what do you plan?"

_You can hardly move, let alone stand. I shall now back you up with my full strength, giving you temporary energy to stand up. But you have to will yourself to do it, too, Master, because this naturally is not your strength to start with. So you're going to have to strain a bit…_

"That's alright," Squall muttered.

_Are you ready, Master?_

"Wait, what do I do when I stand up, I…can't fight, and…even if I can, I don't have my weapon with me…"

_The wall on your left is hollow, I've discovered. When you stand, I shall lend you more strength to bust down that wall. You can do it, Master._

"I'm ready…" Squall said.

Then, in all of the sudden, Squall began to feel energy erupting inside of him, as if lava was flowing out of a volcano. Since the energy was borrowed and was not his own, it shocked his insides momentarily, stunning him.

_Master, are you all right?_

"Y…Yes, Griever…" Squall mumbled.

_Can you stand?_

"I'll…try,"

Slowly, Squall began to move his arms, though with the feeling that they were not his own. Then using them, he pushed himself upwards and onto his feet. It was an odd feeling, for it felt as if he was using someone's legs to walk with.

_It might feel odd for a bit because you've entirely lost your power to move since you're so weak…But it'll be fine…Now Master, I shall focus all my strength on your right fist, punch that wall._

"Alright, Griever," Squall said.

Then his right fist burst into dark, red flames. Squall was startled at first, but then he realized it did not hurt or feel like anything at all.

_Hurry, Master!_

Gathering all his strength, Squall pulled the fist back, then slammed it forward into the vulnerable surface of the stone wall. A great cracking noise erupted, and the stones began to crumble and fall, revealing a dark passageway beyond.

"Wow," Squall said, then looked to his fist, "Take back your energy and power, Griever. I don't want to wear you out."

_Master, you could barely walk!_

"What's beyond this tunnel?"

_We don't know where it leads, Master…but let's not stay here anymore…I am sure someone ought to hear that great rumble._

"See?" Squall said, "We don't know where it leads…Man, Deling sure has a lot of secrets…I still remember Selphie telling me about the Deling sewer passage that she used during the Sorceress Parade…Anyways, Griever, the run is still long, and I don't want to get caught, yet."

_What are your intentions, Master?_

"I want to…" Squall said, "I want to be on the run, looking for proofs and probably I'd pick up some facts and then I'd be able to prove myself innocent…"

_You are running, Master…_

"I know, Griever," Squall said, a pained look in his eyes, "I know I'm running, that was a poor excuse…But I don't want to return. I mean, I wanna see Rinoa again, but I can't bear to see the hate in her eyes, or my friends' eyes, when they looked at me…"

_I understand, I'd stay with you till the end, even if you're suspected by the whole world._

"Thanks, Griever," Squall said, "And I'm weaponless, I can't do anything when I borrowed your strength anyways. So take it back, Griever. I don't want to wear you out when something happens. Who knows what can happen…"

_I'll protect you, Master…_

"I know," Squall nodded, "Thank you. And save your strength when that happens."

_Are you sure, Master?_

"Yes," Squall nodded with confidence.

Then just as quickly as it came, the strength in him was gone. His ability to uphold himself suddenly evaporated, forcing him to fall backwards, then sprawled on the floor. His breathing became heavy and his body began to ache again. The world around him began to swirl out of color and he dearly wanted to sleep. When his consciousness began to fade, Griever's commanding tone rang in his head.

_Master, this is no time for a nap…We must go…_

"_You're right, Griever, you're right…"_

Then Squall realized he had just talked to Griever in his mind.

_Don't be afraid, Master, it's perfectly normal…We can communicate in our mind so our foes won't know of what we are thinking…_

"_Or friends…"_

_That's right._

Squall slowly stood up, ignoring his aching ribs. He began to step forward, each step labored by his heavy breathing. Stepping inside the dark abyss beyond the great hole in the wall, Squall began to hope for a source of light to guide his way.

AN: Hey, everybody. I don wanna b one of those authors who kept askin' 4 reviews continuously and kinda forcin' readers 2 review. I dun wanna b like dat but I'm not likin' the # of reviews I'm getting, either. If y'all wonderin' why it takes me so long 2 update, well, been kinda discouraged since the # of reviews ain't lookin' 2 good.


	13. Great Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 13

Great Escape

Squall Leonhart continued his way through the dark, empty tunnel. He was going through the tunnel relying entirely on his instincts and his touch for whatever beyond was an inky blackness. Though his eyes were fine, he felt like a blind person searching for an empty gape in which a light was supposed to rest upon.

My light was Rinoa…But now she lost her trust in me… 

The path in which he was walking on might as well be filled with dead rats, gravel, or even bones of people or animals who perished before they find light. Whatever it was, Squall was grateful it was so dark. He sighed and clutched his chest again, reminding himself he had to continue moving for the alternative was dying in his dark, lonely place. Closing his eyes for a short minute, he began to reach out to Griever again.

"Griever…how far…till…?" 

_I don't know, Master, but I could smell ocean. Don't give up now._

"Ocean?" Squall whispered, opening his eyes to the same darkness, "The ocean…Maybe when I make it there, I can ask the ocean to send my message to Rinoa…"

_Message to Rinoa? My, Master, you have really grown fond of her._

"_She's the reason I breathe,"_

Squall gritted his teeth and forced his succumbing feet to keep stepping forward. Groping around and feeling the wall for support, he, too, began to smell ocean as well.

_I can…see light, Master._

"_Me, too, there's a crack of light…"_

Squall, with the smell of the ocean still fresh in his mind, pressed forward with newfound strength, the strength within his heart, the strength that refused to let him fall. Touching the cracks of light in front of him, his hand came in contact with cold, solid stone.

"Griever…" 

_I know, Master, allow me…_

Squall stood back, and as expected, his right fist burst into intense, red flames once more. Gathering his remaining strength, he pulled back the fist and brought it forward with his full power. His fist smashed into the stone, but other than a tiny cracking noise, nothing else happened.

"Griever…" 

_Don't worry, Master, try again._

"_But…I don't now if I can…I don't feel so good, Griever…"_

_Master…Hold on, we're almost there!_

Squall nodded, and put the image of Rinoa in his mind to strengthen his courage. Gritting his teeth, he pulled back his fist and brought his forward again. This time, the crack in the stone wall before him began to extend further. Squall, drained of energy, stumbled backwards and fell. When he was about to give in, the wall began to fall apart, though only bits by bits. Joy filled his heart with the thought of being free at last, Squall stood up and gave the wall another good smash, creating a large, gaping hole with cracks extending from all sides. Light began to fall in, almost blinding him.

_Great work, Master._

"_Thanks, but…where do we go from here?"_

Before Griever was able to answer, noises and shuffling were heard from behind Squall.

"Griever, anybody inhabits this dark tunnel?" 

_No, Master, no one lives here…but I smell enemies…_

"_Enemies, I never thought I would do this, but I better run, I can't fight them…"_

Griever grumbled with agreement inside Squall's mind, and the flames on his right fist began to die out.

_Let's run, Master._

"The prisoner! He has escaped!" a voice yelled from within the tunnel behind Squall, echoing and bouncing across the stone walls.

Frantic, Squall leaped across the large gap in the wall, and despite the painful landing on the grass outside, he picked himself up and began running.

"Where are we, Griever?" 

_On the coastal plains just outside of Deling, Master. Very close to the ocean, though. But there are no beaches nearby._

"_No beaches?"_

_You aren't thinking of swimming to safety?_

"_Well, I can't now that I know there's no beaches."_

_And you are not going to jump off the cliff either. The ocean is just below…_

"_I know that."_

Squall grinned sheepishly for a second, and continued to run, though it looked more like he was half running, and half limping. He no longer cared where he ran, as long as it was away from this place.

Quistis skidded back on her heels after the strong force of the impact. Swearing under her breath, she noticed two long, black, and ugly traces on the floor from the force of the heels of her boots. Her right hand began to shake from straining beyond her strength when she was offguard. Quickly, she switched her whip to her left hand, which felt awkward and unfamiliar but it was much better than being unarmed against such a powerful Sorcerer as this.

Suddenly, it struck her mind.

Sorcerer? Since when did Squall attain the power of a Sorcerer? Rinoa? No, it couldn't… 

Shaking the thought from her head, she got into a defensive stance, breathing heavily as she waited for Squall to strike. She did not want to hurt him, even if at the moment, whether she lives or die was entirely up to him. No matter how much she was disappointed and saddened by him that he had chosen Rinoa instead of her, the girl that had been by his side ever since the orphanage, Quistis could never hate Squall, not even enough to pray a mean prank on him for the fun of it. And now, it was no different. Even if she would be hurt by him, she would gladly accept it rather than hurting him. Therefore, all she could do was to defend from his oncoming and nonstop magical spells.

"Squall…please," Quistis pleaded as Squall began to walk towards her, the maddened look still shone in his eyes, "This is not you…"

Quistis shivered suddenly, despite the rising temperature in the hallway due to Squall's continued barrages of fire spells. Both of Squall's palms began to glow green.

_No! An Ultima spell!_

Quistis panicked as her eyes opened wide in shock. On her arms were already cuts and burns from his simple thunder and fire spells. She knew for sure she would never survive this most powerful spell, especially cast by Squall.

"Squall…no," she croaked, drained of energy.

Her body was glued to the spot as she continued staring at the oncoming explosion of green light dashing its way at her. Sweat poured nonstop from her forehead and the whip dropped from her hand.

_This is it…_

The explosion did happen. It was a dull, yet deafening sound that shook her hallway and no doubt shook a few new trainees out of their beds as well. Quistis put her hands to her ears and collapsed to her knees, unable to look at herself, fearing she must now be a burned, bloody corpse ready to die.

"Quistis, relax," a gentle voice said above her, and dearly, she hoped it was Squall, who would finally snap out of his trance and offer her comfort. However, it was a female voice.

"R…Rinoa?" Quistis lowered her hands and looked up at the pale, gentle face staring down her. Without realizing it, Quistis noticed she was on the floor on both knees, looking defeated and exhausted. However, a slight glance around her told her she was surrounded by some sort of barrier that had undoubtedly warded off the Ultima spell. The barrier looked tender but strong, and bear a light shade of blue, the shade that matched with…Rinoa's clothes.

"Are you OK?" Rinoa continued to look at Quistis with arms stretched out in front of her, powering the barrier.

"Y-Yeah," Quistis said and decided to get off her knees and stop looking so pathetic. In a moment, she picked up her whip and was able to put on the cold, determined mask again, "Let's do this."

Rinoa nodded and lowered her arms, allowing the barrier to fade away. Squall emerged in front of them again, looking disappointed that the spell did not phase either of the females in front of him.

"Come on," Rinoa said firmly, her hand rummaging at a small leather bag tied at a belt at her waist. She pulled out a couple of shurikens and looked back at Quistis.

Quistis was surprised for a second. Rinoa did change. So many had changed since she had left Garden. Suddenly, she began to regret the fact that she had left at the precise time that so many changes took place. She wanted to be there for everyone and the Garden as time left its scars on them. She observed her once more and noticed her knee length skirt was gone, replaced by a pair of tight shorts and what looked like a leftover piece of fabric tied around her waist, the two ends hanging and fluttering with every step she takes. Her pinwheel was gone, just as she told Quistis before, replaced by shurikens that looked deadly and accurate before they were even thrown.

"Come on," Rinoa repeated, snapping Quistis out of her thoughts, "Let's take him."

"Wait," Quistis said, "No…It's Squall…"

"No, it's not," Rinoa shook her head, "Trust me."

_Why?_

"Alright," Quistis said hesitantly. She tried hard not to worry. She decided if Squall would be hurt bad, they still had one of the best medics around, Doctor Kadowaki.

Rinoa took action first as she dashed and circled Squall, distracting his attention from Quistis. Quistis stood her ground, readying her weapon. She was planning not to attack unless truly necessary.

Squall turned, just in time to dodge a shuriken thrown at him by Rinoa, aimed directly for the heart. However, his reflexes kicked in and he abandoned his standing position to roll on the ground. However, the sharp edges of the shuriken did manage to scrape his shoulder open, and blood leaked onto the tile. Quistis gasped and refrained from running over to help him.

"Quistis, what are you waiting for?" Rinoa shouted, running over to her.

Squall got up suddenly, recovering quickly. As if sensing the danger that he could not overcome, he darted his gaze around and laid it on the chandelier above. It was connected to a long wire than ran across the whole length of the Garden.

"He's planning to escape!" Quistis shouted, but did not realize the voice was hers until moments later.

"What?" Rinoa turned around just in time to see Squall jump up to grab the chandelier. Quickly, he pushed his weight forward, and the chandelier slid along the wire across the Garden, over two floors and astonishing students from below who got out of bed due to the ruckus.

"Quistis, gattling gun, now!" Rinoa said, panicking.

"I…I can't, I'll damage the ceiling and collapse the whole place!" Quistis said.

"No, we can't…" Rinoa squinted her eyes in frustration. Then suddenly, she dashed forward, leaving a speechless Quistis behind.

"Rinoa, what are you…?" Quistis called after her, but stopped when she realized what Rinoa was about to do.

Rinoa bravely jumped and grabbed onto the wire, sliding along to catch up to Squall, ignoring the pain from the force of friction cause between her palms and the wire. When close enough, she reached into her bag for a shuriken and aimed with all her concentration and strength. The small weapon flew and embedded itself deep in the left side of Squall's back, right at the place where his heart should be. Silently, she let go of and prayed she it didn't go in deep enough to damage his heart. She braced for the landing and landed painfully on her feet and hands. Seconds later, a thud followed behind her back. Still breathing hard, Rinoa waited for Quistis' footsteps to come nearer.

"Rinoa! Rinoa!" Quistis' voice echoed in the empty corridor, "That was the most…Where did you…?"

Quistis was astonished. Rinoa hand changed so much, not just the outside but the inside as well. She was so much braver and so much stronger. Before, she had thought about challenging Rinoa to a friendly spar someday, but now, she was having second thoughts.

"Rinoa…are you…" she was about to see if Rinoa was all right when her gaze stopped on Squall's motionless body. Gasping, she abandoned Rinoa and ran to Squall's side, where several trainees were already crowding about, whispering.

"I said…It's not him," Rinoa said with exhaustion as she picked herself off the floor.

"Go to bed, there's nothing to see here!" Quistis commanded, and almost instantly, the trainees complied and turned on their heels to leave.

_At least I know I would always have one thing…deadly authority…_

A groan brought Quistis' attention back to Squall as Rinoa staggered over. When she was about to lift him up to soothe his pain, he began to glow. Rinoa watched without surprise as Quistis stumbled backwards.

She looked with intense shock as the body of Squall Leonhart melted away with exploding light, then replaced with the body of a petite, blond male.

"I…told you…" Rinoa whispered.

Author's Note:

To All My Reviewers Out There

I am so deeply sorry. I did say I want reviews and I was so glad to hear from you guys that you guys understand how I feel, but then I just disappeared and stopped updating for quite sometime. You see, I'm a teenager, and drama and problems are like over my head, pouring in like daily meals. Any of you who is a teenager out there, do you wonder the same thing as I do? Is suffering a part of being a teenager? I've been depressed for sometime, but I know I can't keep my readers waiting forever, so I had to do this today. I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	14. A Beauty from Nowhere

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 14

A Beauty from Nowhere

"The wound doesn't seem fatal," Dr. Kadowaki said, with a hint of confusion in her tone as if she was still wondering why she had to get up in the middle of the night and tend to this patient after Rinoa and Quistis had brutally assaulted him, "But he's naturally frail, so it'll be awhile before he recovers."

Quistis nodded solemnly. Dr. Kadowaki lingered for a minute, and when it was obvious they were not going to fill her in on what happened, she sighed and headed to her private room.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," Rinoa called after her, "It's not the time yet. We need to…"

"Don't bother," Quistis said sternly, "She's already gone."

Rinoa nodded and turned to look through the glass window of the infirmary. Her eyes cast on the fragile body of the blond patient lying there, hooked on to many hospital devices that she, at times, saw on Squall when he would return from a mission that did not go too well. Biting her lower lip, she looked to Quistis for further direction.

It was later than midnight that they had brought the imposter in and bluntly roused Dr. Kadowaki out of her sleep. She had been somewhat hesitated but when she saw the condition of the patient, and as if her doctor morale kicked in, she forgot about sleep and set to work. Though afterwards, she still wanted to know what happened that made the former instructor and the commander's "supposed girlfriend" beat up someone at midnight. Rinoa had turned red then and refused to admit she was supposed to be Squall's girl, so Quistis and Dr. Kadowaki, in order to avoid further argument, sighed and went with "supposed girlfriend".

"So he's our imposter," Quistis spoke up, more to herself than anyone else. Rinoa turned and looked at her, and right then, she was able to see a deep pool of regret within her eyes. Turning back, she realized the regret within her heart was surfacing as well. They both had the same thought in mind.

So we chased away Squall…when he's… 

"Dammit!" Quistis cursed for the first time in all her years of being an instructor, "Why…?"

"This boy…it's Lukre, isn't it?" Rinoa asked, tears began to surface, so she had to ask a completely off question to forget about it.

Images flashed in her mind as memories of Lukre being so helpful and brining in to the Headmaster the tape as evidence. The tape was real enough to fool anyone, but…he could easily change himself into Squall and tape himself like that.

"We treated him like he's the most terrible criminal in the world," Quistis continued, weakening. Soon she backed off and supported herself against the wall, trembling, "I wonder what happened to him now…"

"Lukre did say he's frail, so he got an ability that makes up for it," Rinoa looked away, unable to look at Quistis for she, too, was afraid she would break down herself, "This must be the ability he was talking about."

"He was on his way to Deling, wasn't he?" Quistis couldn't hold in tears any longer, "Maybe if we hurry, we could contact Deling now…but no, doesn't Deling has a really tough executioner, I hope they hadn't…Oh, no…"

"Stop it, Quistis!" Rinoa, before she knew it, had shouted out with frustration, but yet at the same time, concern.

Quistis wiped a trail of tears from her cheek and looked at Rinoa.

"Quistis, I don't know you as long as the others, but I could tell you're the strongest one of us all," Rinoa said, more quietly and reassuring, "So please…I think at this critical time, we need you the most…"

"But I can't…" Quistis looked down, "Dammit, I just sent a person that is like a brother to me to his own death!"

"But we don't know that yet! Squall's still alive!" Rinoa raised her voice again, "All we know now is he is innocent."

"We're not even sure on that piece of detail yet!" Quistis said, frustrated, "Unless our blond boy over there wakes up and confess everything. For all we know, he might just want to change to Squall tonight just to tease you!"

"I've believed Squall is innocent from the beginning," Rinoa said without a hint of hinder in her voice.

"Belief isn't enough, Rinoa," Quistis said, wiping her tears for good and standing up, "I had my doubts…but now we gotta prove Squall's innocence. We gotta contact Deling, first thing first."

"Let me do that talking," Rinoa volunteered, "I know my father…"

Master…I smell enemies close on our heels… 

"That's not good," Squall muttered outloud, "No, not good at all."

_They are a handful of alert people to find us out that fast._

"Damn, I got no choice, I have to…"

What? Master…you…! 

"Hey, you there, escapee!" a gruff voice sounded behind his back. Squall turned around just an inch to take a glimpse at the group of soldiers heavily armed with machine guns behind him, running frantically, yet in an orderly line.

"Stop this instant, or we'll be forced to shoot!" another voice shouted out, more commanding than the last.

Squall quickly increased his speed, though not too much for his side and ribs still bothered him with every step he took. In front of him, the edge of the ocean was getting closer. However, what gave the view to the ocean was the protruding cliff there, almost as if it was reaching out to the sky.

"I got only one more option…" Master! 

"_I gotta do it, Griever,"_

Squall took forward, and bullets started flying behind him, whizzing past his head. Hazily, he wondered why Deling ordered such bad aimers, or perhaps he himself was not shabby at dodging bullets. After all, he had been in tons of missions with crazy maniacs pointing the barrel of a gun at him. But now, he doubted himself to be dodging this good in this condition. However, he pushed forward, right at the edge of the cliff looking below.

Don't do it! 

Squall turned around. The line of soldiers was already behind him, smirking with triumph.

"Another step forward, and you're dead," one of them spoke, "So come willingly with us."

"Like hell I would," Squall said quietly and turned around swiftly. Before anyone could blink, he flung himself off the cliff.

Master! 

In a desperate attempt, the soldiers started shooting their guns nonstop, determined to hit any target in front. After a few seconds, they lowered their heads and sighed in defeat as they turned around.

"What must we do now?" one of them asked.

"Idiot!" the one with the gruff voice shouted, "We report the boss and say it's all your fault that the prisoner escaped!"

"But, Sir!"

"No buts, or else other than the boss' punishment, I'll punish you myself in addition to that!"

"Y-Yes, Sir…"

Squall's mind was a hazy mess of blankness. He had no idea what he did and why he did so. As he fell, the air stung against his face, brining tears to his eyes.

_This is it…_he thought.

No, Master, why did you do this? 

"Why…?" Squall said quietly, as if he was too tired to do anything else except repeat what he heard, "Why did I…?'

He chuckled slightly.

"So ironic, this is the end for me…" No, Master! 

Suddenly, Squall felt a heavy impact within him as he stopped falling. Time seemed to be frozen as he lingered in midair, still with his arms spread at his sides, waiting for his incoming death. The ocean below stopped coming and slapping against the protruding rocks. The clouds in the sky seemed to stop floating. Before his eyes, everything seemed like a beautiful still-life painting.

"Griever, what's going on?" I don't know, Master, but no ordinary human is doing this… 

Squall couldn't move. Before he was able to ask Griever another question, the still-life painting before his eyes dissolved suddenly, and heavenly white faded around him. At last, it surrounded him and faded within his vision. Before everything dissolved to white, and slowly turned to black, he thought he caught a glimpse of a face.

A face of stunning beauty… 


	15. Chriselle, the Air Master

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 15

Chriselle, the Air Master

Squall's ears rang as he felt a sudden light sensation within him. It was neither comforting or rough, making his mind twist even more with confusion. He tried again to tap into his mind to call out for Griever, but nothing happened. He felt completely alone as he frantically looked around him, staring hard, trying to pierce past the heavenly white thickness that coated the area that surrounded him.

_Squall…Commander of SeeDs…orphan…destiny's chosen…and warrior that brought the downfall of Ultimecia…_

Squall squinted hard as he darted his eyes around, searching for the source of noise. Finally, the thickness of white faded before him, evaporating and dancing its way towards the sky. In the hazy leftovers of the strange, thick white air, a slender outline of a figure appeared.

_Squall…Commander of SeeDs…one who is ignorant to the word defeat…victor of countless battles…and warrior that brought the downfall of Ultimecia…_

Before Squall could shout out in frustration at the echoing voice in his ears, his vision faded once more, and the came back with exploding colors, so much so it had forced him to close his eyes and leaned away. As his head moved, he found it colliding with cold, hard wood. His hands moved, and he found them touching a hard surface also.

_Where am I…_he asked himself.

He opened his eyes, and the temperature dropped suddenly. Before him, a thin whirlpool of wind twisted itself out of thin air, dancing and moving gracefully with the rhythm of the air. Then the whirlpool slowed, died down, revealing the outline of the slender the figure that he had unmistakably saw before.

"W…Who are you?" Squall asked, finding this voice at last.

_Or maybe, what are you?_

Squall blinked his eyes for a clearer look. Slowly, a face zoomed into his view with better focus. Gasping slightly, he sat bolt upright, almost colliding with the face of the person had she not been quick and clever to move out of the way swiftly. Once in an upright position, he took a look at the woman next to him again, examining every detail of her face. She was strikingly beautiful, with pale sea blue eyes and full lips that bear a shade of pink. Her complexion was pale, so much so it appeared as if one could reach up and pass a hand through her. Her hair was dancing loosely behind her back with the wind. Blinking his eyes, Squall realized the long tresses of her hair matched the background of the sky behind her perfectly for on her strangely white hair, there were streaks of pale blue that were light and faded, but undoubtedly could not be missed by any pair of eyes.

_Who is this woman?_

What really struck him was the fact that she was staring at him with so much coldness and venom, as if she had had a grudge against him about something for sometime. He was quite sure he had never seen her before in his life, let alone had a grudge with her. Furthermore, around her neck was a silver pendant that looked centuries old. For a minute, it began to dawn upon him that she might not belong in this age of time at all. He shuddered suddenly as she brought up a hand to touch his cheek, then slowly, the air warmed down again.

"Squall Leonhart…" she whispered, "Commander of SeeDs…"

"So it was you!" Squall exclaimed, batting her gentle hand away. She looked down at the hand that was hit, then slowly brought up her other hand to cradle it. Looking up at him again, her face portrayed an expression of confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Squall looked at her over again. By this time, he had confirmed it. She was not someone from this period of time. The clothes she was wearing were too distinctive and different what he had seen generally. She had on a pair of trousers that hugged her delicate hips lightly, but one of the trouser legs was cut off, therefore, exposing her entire leg on one side. Her top was also torn in the middle, with the bottom part obviously thrown away, and the top part kept to be worn on her. On her left ring finger, there was a silver ring with detailed designs that could not be seen from the distance he was at. Nonetheless, he knew the ring was connected to a long, sagging strip of cloth embellished with precious pearls extending form her finger to her shoulder. Every move she made, the strip would flutter back and forth, as if jazzing with the wind.

"What's wrong? You wanna know what's wrong?" Squall asked, raising his voice, then doubled over suddenly. Cursing, he realized he had forgotten that he had injuries.

"Squall," the woman reached for his shoulder.

"Dammit," Squall muttered, "But I'm OK, just a bit beat up."

"That's good to hear," the woman spoke again, "I'll look at those wounds later."

Squall's eyes popped open in surprise as he suddenly realized something in the woman's tone. She had been saying all these expressions that were supposed to show her concern for him, but for some strange reason, all that came out of her had been monotonous and emotionless.

"Who…are you?" Squall asked again, slower this time, trying hard to calm down.

"That's not your concern right now," she said, standing up and Squall's gaze moved with her. She began walking, and when she stopped next to a set of railings that offered a view to the never-stopping stretch of sky ahead, Squall's mind began to sink in the realization that he was on a ship of some sort.

"Am I on a ship?" he asked.

"Correct, Squall," she nodded.

"Why then?" Squall asked, frustration showed in his voice, "Why the hell did I end up in this ship after almost being shot? And what's up with this ship that…?"

Squall gave up talking to the nonresponsive woman and stood up swiftly. Groaning, he clutched at his left side as it gave a throb.

_What happened there? No time to look at that now._

He limped over to the railing to stand next to her. What he saw almost made his stomach do a somersault.

The ship was flying on air, and the ocean was miles below.

"You like what you see?" she spoke next to him, snapping him out of his trance, "The sky is my cradle, and the wind is my home."

"You…" he turned to her, "You aren't human, are you?"

She turned to look at him for a long time without answering. Finally, she closed her eyes and nodded slightly.

"Bahh, don't be bothered by my foolish little sister!" a gruff, deeper voice spoke behind them, startling Squall. Apparently, the woman knew the source of the voice for she did not bother flinching.

"Who are you now?" Squall turned and almost smacked a hand to his forehead when a large mass of dirt rolled on the deck of the ship. A second later, a burly looking man emerged, as if out of thin air, behind the tall pile of dirt. Swiftly, he made his way over to Squall.

_What kind of crazy circus have I gotten myself into?_

"Who…?"

"Ahh, don't start with formalities," the man, apparently cheerful, leaned on the railing next to Squall and grinned, "I'm just here to explain about that strange girl over there. Or, you do think she's strange, don't you?"

"If there's another word for…" Squall started.

"Fair enough," the man chuckled, pulling at his thin shirt, which was purposely unbuttoned in the front, revealing his large chest. Unlike the girl, his hair was a dark shade of brown, so dark it was difficult to tell whether it was really a lighter shade of black. His eyes, however, were more of an obvious glint of brown, portraying obvious sincerity and kindness in them. Like his body, he also had a large face shape, due to the oversized jaw. It seemed as if these jaws rarely do anything except to emphasize the wideness and cheerfulness of his constant grins.

"Don't be fooled, her name should be spoken with fear," he said, though there was no hint of seriousness in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Squall clutched his left side again, and slid down the railing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the man asked, kneeling down next to him.

"Bullet wound," the woman said casually.

"What? You mean they still got h…" the man removed Squall's hand and gasped. Just as she said, there was a large, red spot that evidently, proved that blood had leaked through for too long.

"Am I right?"

"Don't stand there, Chris," the man said, then noticed the heaviness of Squall's breathing suddenly, "Damn, get someone."

"Who? I don't know how to heal a bullet wound. There's no one within this…"

"Hey, you! Stay with us!" the man shook Squall, "She didn't go through all this trouble just so you can do this, all right?"

"I'm OK," Squall nodded.

"Chris, this is your ship, so it's your call," the man said, "Set a sail for someone…"

"Chris?" Squall asked hazily, "So that's her name?"

"Nah, not really," the man shook his head, relieved to have found a topic that could keep Squall talking, "That's just what I call her. Respectfully, everyone else call her Chriselle."

"Chriselle?"

"Yeah, that's right,"

The woman gave the two another glance, then turned and took off towards the cabin of the ship. The long strip of cloth flew behind her back.

"The pendant…?"

"Oh," the man nodded, "Yeah, I guess you noticed. And you're right, too, Chriselle and I aren't from this time dimension."

"Both of you?"

"Yeah, both of us," he nodded, talking unusually fast, as if he was afraid that he was to stop, Squall would go to sleep, "We were…let's see, where do I start. 200 years ago, there was a Kingdom called Lexania, really beautiful, yeah, you'd expect that much, right? The King and Queen had two children. The day a beautiful girl was born was the next happiest day of their life. They named the girl Chris Elle Lexania."

"Chris Elle?"

"Shut up and let me finish, I want to rush this story as fast as possible," the man said, his smile vanished, "You see, Chris Elle grew into a strong and fairly beautiful girl. And guess what, our Kingdom at the time was oppressed by a force called Ultimecia."

"…NO?"

"Yes," the man nodded, "It seemed her wicked heart had granted her the ability and desire to exist in every time interval. Chris Elle wouldn't have it that way for her people. She stepped into battle with Ultimecia."

"Did she…?"

"Nah, she lost, but with honor," the man said sadly, "However, it was her rebellious act that angered Ultimecia, and with one swift action, she decided to wipe out our Kingdom, out of existence. Nobody survived."

"Then how did Chriselle?"

"She didn't," the man replied, "However, as one desperate and last attempt, she tapped into her mind to reach to her guardian, the Phoenix. It sacrificed its soul in order to give her a chance to be reborn, reincarnated. So to sum it all, she was reborn, however, with one additional trait in her blood, the trait of an Air Master."

"Air Master?" Squall asked, beginning to lose concentration.

"Yeah," the man spoke without noticing, "I'm not sure why or how, either, but as soon as she was reborn into this world roughly 200 years ago, right after the oblivion of her Kingdom, she discovered her ability as an Air Master. The sky is her cradle and the wind is her home."

"200 years ago, wouldn't she…?" Squall asked.

"Nah, she's reborn, so she's no longer with the living, nor among the death, so it's almost like a curse…" the mad said sadly, shaking his head, "She's bound to live forever."

"Then who are you?"

"I haven't gotten there yet, be patient. You know, when Chris Elle was doing all that, you know, facing Ultimecia and being reborn, she wasn't alone. Someone was there with her."

"You?"

"Yes, her one and only older brother," the man nodded, the smile cracking back onto his face, "Pleasure to meet you, Squall Leonhart of Balamb. Allow me to introduce myself for the first time. I'm Laine Lexania, Prince of Lexania, and brother of Princess Chris Elle Lexania."

"You…You were reborn, too?"

"Yes, Chris Elle was able to bring both of us back, however, at a terrible cost," Laine lowered in head as if he was recalling the bad memory, "In order to make the Phoenix soul so powerful that it can reborn us both, she had to give up all that she treasured within her. She gave it her heart, her purity, her power, her emotions. As the Phoenix soul accepted the purity of her heart that she had given it, it was able to do its all to bring us back. That's why Phoenix could never be summoned again since that day."

"So that explains why Chriselle is…"

"Yes, that explains it," Laine nodded, "She's no longer able to feel, be happy, get angry, laugh, cry, nothing. You can say insults in her face and she would think nothing of it but…"

Laine looked up at Squall in the eyes with a solemn expression.

"…I'd recommend any idiot to not even try to do anything to her," Laine said seriously, "They'll regret it."

"I won't do anything," Squall said, lowering his head. Hazily, in his mind, he was beginning to wonder if he should be jealous of Chriselle. In this twisted world of deceit and suffering, where the best of friends turned against each other, he wondered if it was a good thing Chriselle was able to avoid all that by her lack of emotions.

"What sad is Chris Elle couldn't respond to her own name," Laine chuckled, "Two syllables were just too much for her blank mind. So I swallow her name in one gulp, Chriselle, and she seems to understand better. And she also responds to Chris, but I'd rather it be that I'm the only one who calls her that."

"Wait, Laine," Squall said, "You did say Phoenix could never be summoned again?"

"Yes, I did, why?"

"It's strange, because a few number of people can,"

"That's absurd!" Laine said with surprise, "Phoenix perished ages ago!"

"I'm one of the few that can summon it," Squall said, "Though it's not easy, and it's not always available."

Laine sighed and tilted Squall's head upwards, as if trying to see if he had had a concussion that caused this ridiculous rambling. After a second, he lowered his head again, obviously dissatisfied that he didn't find what he looked for.

"What are you?" Squall asked suddenly, deciding to change subject since it was apparent Laine did not believe him on the Phoenix.

"What do you mean?"

"If Chriselle was reborn with the trait of an Air Master, were you reborn in any special way?"

"Oh, I forgot, yes, I was," Laine nodded, "I'm sorry, allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Laine Lexania, Prince of Lexania, brother of Princess Chris Elle Lexania, and Earth Master."

"So you were reborn with the spirit of the Earth Master?"

"Yes, I really don't know how," Laine said, looking at the palms of his hands, "But I got a feeling, one day I'll find out. I mean, destiny can't hide it from us forever, can't it?"

Squall chuckled as he tasted a hint of irony within what Laine had said.

Suddenly, there was a creak as the door leading to the cabin of the ship opened. Chriselle stepped out, a rushed look on her face.

"What did you find?" Laine asked.

"The only town with excess medical knowledge that I've tracked down is Shumi village," Chriselle said flatly.

"Then go there!" Laine exclaimed, "We didn't save him to watch him die."

"Affirmative," Chriselle nodded, obviously not minding being ordered around.

Squall blinked once, twice, then decided he needed a short rest before they would reach Shumi. His eyes began to close.

"Eh, Commander!" Laine's voice tapped into his mind, but it sounded too far away, and the bliss feeling of heavy sleep was too hard to ignore.

_Chriselle, the Air Master…_

_Laine, the Earth Master…_

_Who are they, really?_


	16. Unexpected Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 16 

Unexpected Meeting

Quistis finished typing and leaned back in her seat, sighing and massaging her temples gently. Rinoa was sitting right behind her in Squall's private office, looking at her back with anxiety. Squall's office was off limits to anyone except Squall himself and Rinoa. When Quistis was asked to use the computer in his room, she hesitated and then made sure anyone who knew would not speak a word to him about it when he returned. The reason they were so desperate to use his computer was because his room was the only private, camera-free room, and holds absolutely no way for anyone to peek or look through. These messages Quistis was sending to the head of every town was private and must be kept utterly confidential. If anyone else besides the head of the towns was to stumble upon this message somehow, who knew what would happen.

"Have you sent the messages?" Rinoa asked.

"Yes," Quistis turned back, nodding, "Soon, the whole world will know of Squall's story and they'll keep an eye out for him for us."

"Are you sure you made it clear that they should not harm him in any way?" Rinoa asked worriedly.

"Yes, I did, Rinoa," Quistis stood and headed for the door, "Don't worry, no one will touch him now that we have some evidence to protect his innocence. Unless, someone like a bounty hunter or just a criminal looking for revenge on Squall would stumble across the message. But I'm pretty sure it's secured. Squall's computer is the most reliable…"

"I'm not too sure about my father," Rinoa muttered.

"Why do you say that?" Quistis asked, her hand on the knob, ready to get out of the room, "That little runt said he sent Squall to Deling, right? From what I believe, Deling looked pretty peacef…"

"No, Quistis, you don't understand," Rinoa shook her head, looking concerned, "Take the words from someone who was born and raised in Deling. It's a nice town but that's just camouflage. You don't know…you have no idea of what's "behind the scene"."

"For example?" Quistis sounded skeptical.

"Back then, my father told me, during the war, when my mother used to sing at the local bar in Deling," Rinoa began, "Soldiers stopped by Deling on their way to battles all the time. Some of them are okay, but some are just rough. Some of them get all pervert-like on the songstresses at the bar. At the time, many of them quit and my mother was strong and brave enough to step up as both a piano player and a singer."

"This is a long story, isn't it?" Quistis sighed and stepped back inside the room.

"My mother was fearless against those who bothered her during her performance on stage," Rinoa continued, nodding, "She showed no fear or sympathy for them. She even spat insults in their faces. Then…"

"Then what?"

"…then the car accident five years after she had me was no accident," Rinoa choked out, "My dad knew what happened but he had no evidence against them, so he had to sit with his hands behind his back…"

"I'm sorry," Quistis said.

"Everyone's sorry," Rinoa said, "Don't worry, it's been to long to bother me…I'm just worried about Squall now."

"Deling is some rough place, eh?"

"I hadn't even mention the sewer yet,"

"The sewer," Quistis' eyes popped open with surprise, "The sewer. It can't be…"

"What?"

"During the Sorceress Parade in Deling, me, Zell, and Selphie stumbled across a secret passage that led to an underground passage," Quistis explained, "It can't be what you're talking about, can it?"

"It is," Rinoa nodded, "My father sealed it off, and only he knows how to open it. I don't know how you ever got in and survived. There's supposed to be monsters roaming about…"

"They were pretty easy," Quistis commented.

"Then you haven't met it yet, you were lucky to have escaped or not come across it at all," Rinoa said, "There's been many rumors about that underway. Some said they encountered a great monster, a great spirit of some sort. I'm not sure of anything because the rumors sound too farfetched to be true."

"How are they farfetched?"

"Some survivors said they see the great monster in the form of a woman, some said the monster is in the form of a great unidentified beast," Rinoa shook her head, almost smiling, "They all came to my father with these reports of all these beasts, with so many different descriptions it drove my father crazy. Then the smell of blood got stronger below, so he had to seal it away."

"But you can access it pretty easily in the clock tower…"

"I know, but my father never thought anyone would go inside the clock tower, except people who went by time to time to check it and fix it should there be something wrong," Rinoa said, "And he believes they're smart enough to not jump down the ladder."

"Pretty wild stories at Deling," Quistis frowned, "They put up such a good outerlook, I had no idea…"

"I had no idea, either, until my father told me," Rinoa said, "An advantage to have a father who's a General and knows everything in a city, isn't it?"

"I think we've done enough chatting for now," Quistis headed for the door again, "Let's check on our little patient and pump some info off him."

"Have you met with Headmaster Cid yet?" Rinoa asked, standing up and following Quistis out of the office.

"Yes, I have, I have called everyone together at the crack of dawn," Quistis said, "I had to do it so early because Selphie and Irvine were about to leave for Trabia."

"Already?"

"Part of the reason was they were hoping to catch Squall on the way or meet him at Trabia," Quistis sighed, "It is, after all, in our best interest that one of us finds him and nobody else."

"Maybe we should set out, too," Rinoa suggested, strolling down the hallway towards the infirmary wing with Quistis.

"I can…but I'm not sure anyone else can," Quistis said.

"You can, how so? I thought you were quite an important figure,"

"I've left for quite sometime," Quistis smiled bitterly, "It doesn't feel the same anymore."

"They're always ready to welcome you back," Rinoa said, then stopped, "But then again, who am I to say that?"

"That's alright," Quistis sighed, "Maybe someday, I'll return as the instructor I was. But now, I don't know what to do…I'd rather we not talk about it."

"Sorry," Rinoa, changing the subject, "So when will the funeral for the poor girl take place?"

"We're not sure," Quistis said, "We've got to track down her identity, her parents…and hell, gotta break the heartshattering news to them."

"Where is she now?"

"In a separate room in the infirmary," Quistis said, "That unfortunate girl. Dr. Kadowaki stitched and cleaned her up pretty good. She almost looked as if she was sleeping."

"Why haven't we started searching for her identity yet?" Rinoa asked as they arrived in front of the infirmary door. Quistis peeked through the glass to see the doctor furiously writing on a piece of paper in front of her on the desk.

"We did," Quistis said, turning the doorknob without knocking, "But we are having some…what would you say, ah, difficulties. It's as if she was never enrolled in our Garden in the first place."

"How so?"

"We don't know, we're doing the best we can," Quistis stepped in and looked around before nodding at the doctor's confused gaze, "The best guess we could come up with was the misspelling of her name. I think we might have misspelled her name somehow. It is after all…a quite interesting and unique name."

"Laera, isn't it?" Rinoa followed Quistis inside, "Somehow it sounds familiar to me."

"Isn't it because you've met and heard her name?" Quistis chuckled.

"Could be," Rinoa nodded.

"So what could the great instructor be doing at my office so early?" Doctor Kadowaki took off her glasses and smiled at Quistis.

"Please, doctor, don't call me that anymore," Quistis shook her head, "I've come to see if Lukre is awake."

"Woke up quite sometime ago," Doctor Kadowaki pointed towards the room behind her, "Probably lying there, mourning about his capture. You can see him, and like I would say with all my patients, don't upset his wounds."

"He's a criminal, for the sake of…" Quistis started, walking over the room.

"I treat my all my patients in the same way, Quistis," Doctor Kadowaki frowned and returned to her paperwork.

Quistis smiled lightly and turned the knob into the patient's quarter. Rinoa followed close behind her.

No matter what, they were going to squeeze every bit of information from the imposter. Despite the doctor's warning, they were not going to treat him as a healing patient.

Putting a hand to her whip at her belt to make sure it was there, Quistis knew she was willing to get aggressive if it needed be.

The first thing Squall felt and noticed as he came about was the warm, gentle touch of a hand on his forehead. Without thinking, he knew it was a delicate hand, and the feeling it gave him was much similar to the touch that _she _had once given him.

_She_ who? For a strange reason, the name did not come to his mind in an instant.

It took a second to remember the name that he yearned to speak again with love.

Rinoa Heartily.

_My angel?_

"Hello? Welcome back," a tranquil, yet cold voice spoke above him, forcing his eyes open all the way.

It was a woman's face that stared down at him as his eyes met hers. His vision zoomed in and out of focus as he could not quite shake off the dizziness swirling around in his head. At first, his lips were on the verge of calling out Rinoa's name but then refrained themselves. Shaking his aching head, he mentally told himself to calm down for he was beginning to see her everywhere. Just mere minutes before, her face had appeared in his troubled dreams.

"What's wrong?" the woman's lips moved and Squall guessed she had spoken to him again.

"Where…am I?" he asked hazily.

"You forgot?" she asked with a confused expression, "You are aboard on my ship, the Aeria."

"The Aeria?" Squall frowned, his vision finally focused, "Why? How?"

"You truly forgot, did you not?" the woman asked, her pale blue eyes fixed on him, "You do remember the shootings and the bullets, do you not?"

"The bul…" Squall started, then looked down at his side. Quickly lifting his white shirt up, he found a carefully bandaged wound. Confused, he lightly touched it and found it still stung with agony. Gritting his teeth, he nodded as his memories came back.

"I see," the woman said, "You do remember my name, then? And the man over there? He is my brother…"

"Yes, I know," Squall said, attempting to sit up straight, supporting himself on his elbows, "Chriselle and Laine, right?"

"Hey, I heard talking," a cheerful voice said on top of them. Soon, a shadowed loomed over Chriselle.

"He has awaken," Chriselle reported to Laine, "The bandage will hold the blood until we reach Shumi village."

"Good," Laine sat down and faced Squall, "Take it easy, all right? We don't want anymore panic attacks now. Well, at least, Chris here was calm."

"There was nothing to worry," Chriselle said, "It didn't look serious enough to kill him within the next hour."

"Heh heh, don't mind her," Laine waved off Chriselle's comment, "Her mind works like a machine sometimes. Sometimes, it's just blank."

"Yeah, I know," Squall nodded.

"Laine, who's driving the ship?" Chriselle said suddenly, "Weren't you?"

"Bah, who needs driving?" Laine said, smiling, "This is Aeria, the ship who shares your mind, right? She should know…"

"Yes, but at the moment, she's going in a straight line," Chriselle nodded, "I'm in no mood to control her now."

"Don't worry, we'll me in Shumi soon enough," Laine said confidently, "There shouldn't be any trouble in such a short distance…"

Fate was strange thing, for as soon as the word left Laine's mouth, the ship tilted sideways dangerously as a force made a tremendous impact on the side. Chriselle was the first one to her feet as she lunged over to the side, trying to look down below. Squall, still confused and disoriented, gripped onto the side of the ship and forced himself on his shaky feet to look down below with Chriselle. Laine quickly dashed towards the wheel, trying to hard to steer the ship back on course.

"Who're our attackers?" Laine yelled, struggling with the critical turn.

"This is strange," Chriselle said softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she stared down below, "It's not an army as I expected."

"So it's not them?" Laine asked.

"Them who?" Squall turned to Laine.

"No, it's not," Chriselle answered Laine, ignoring Squall.

Squall grunted, annoyed at the face that he was ignored. Turning his gaze back down, all he could see was the unclear outlines of three figures on the snow. His vision was still refusing to clear up even as he shook his head severely several times.

"They look angry," Chriselle reported, "They have weapons, too. Must be powerful, too, to damage my Aeria like so."

"What? Aeria is damaged? Is it serious?" Laine asked, frantic, "I thought it was just a scratch."

"She's damaged," Chriselle said coldly, putting a hand to her chest where her lost heart should have been, "I can tell."

Laine nodded, his expression grim.

"Should we land?" he asked.

"We should," Chriselle nodded, "We should see what those violent people want, anyways."

"Who are they?" Squall asked, "I…can't see."

"Don't worry, perhaps they will help us fix our ship because they've shot it down," Chriselle said, "Or perhaps they could grant us some medical knowledge."

"They better," Laine said, punching his fist into the palm of his other hand, "They did shoot us down, after all."

"Yes, you're right," Chriselle said, and as if by will, the ship began descending towards the ground.

Squall tried to hold on as the wind rushed into his face and threatened to drive him to his knees again. As the ground slowly rushed closer, the details of the people's faces began to sharpen and clear up.

One of the person's faces came clearly into view and Squall had to struggle to keep his insides from squirming.

The face belonged to a blond male. His eyes portrayed absolute malice mixed with sheer overconfidence as he fixed them on Squall. A familiar, venomous smirk was played across his lips.

However, the most recognizing feature was the obvious jagged scar etched just above the bridge of his nose, standing out between the pair of green eyes.

AN: Whew, that was long. Sorry for not updating in a hella long time. It's just 'cuz summer is here and I'm having quite a lotta fun (I guess).


	17. The Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter Chapter 17 

The Reunion

The great, magnificent ship began descending.

The young, blond man took a step back and shielded his face with an arm as dust began blowing in all directions, blurring his vision. Behind him, he could hear his subordinates ebbing away.

The ship touched the ground heavily, as it was damaged quite greatly. The man smirked and took a step forward as he heard voices upon the ship. Raising his gun up, he took a ready position in case anything should happen.

Beyond his expectations, the first one to get out of the ship was a young girl that to him, possessed magnificent beauty that was not fit to be one who ran a ship. Her face portrayed one of a girl who would most likely be a rich celebrity living in a grand castle. He pushed the thought aside and looked again to see a largely built man step off the ship right behind the girl.

"Quite a party we have here," the blond man smirked as he folded his arms, tucking the gun under his coat.

He was expected to be attacked right away, whether by questions or by physical beatings. However, strangely, the girl just stood there with an empty gaze and the large man did the same, but with his eyes glued to the ship, as if waiting for the arrival of another.

"What are…?" the blond man started, but before he was able to finish or gather himself, the last expected person made his "grand entrance" from the ship.

The blond man took a step backwards as he stared with shock at the young man who was having difficulties stepping off the ship. One of his hands was clutched to his side and the other one was grabbing tightly onto the side of the ship for support. His blue eyes, once filled with courage and coldness, were now drowned with pain and confusion. As he stumbled down onto the ground, his eyes found the blond man's eyes, and their gazes held. A smirk crossed the young man's lips.

"Long time no see, Seifer," he said quietly.

Squall stumbled a few times before supporting his full weight on his right leg and tried hard to stand upright. Quickly, Chriselle was at his side.

"Long time no see, too, Leonhart," Seifer smirked in return.

"Oh, goodie," Laine said sarcastically, coming up from behind Squall, "You two know each other."

"Not just know," Seifer said, folding his arms, "Spent almost a lifetime together."

"Cut the crap, Seifer," Squall said, trying hard to glare through his pain, "What are you doing out here?"

For the first time, Squall was able to take in fully what Seifer was wearing. He looked completely different since his white trench coat with the blood-red symbols was gone. This time, he was wearing a tight black leather uniform and two sashes that crossed at his chest, forming the letter X. Squall did not want to begin to wonder how many bullets or hidden weapons he was carrying under those sashes.

"You know, I could be asking you the same thing," Seifer said, gesturing for the two figures behind him to go ahead and step up.

"Too bad because I asked first," Squall smirked.

"Damn again," Seifer swore, "Fine, you see here, I've kinda formed together a group of my own. We ain't much, and I can't cause as much trouble as I used to, but we do enough to earn a mean reputation for living."

"Why do you this?" Squall asked, surprised.

"Why not?"

"I mean, couldn't you keep staying in Garden?"

"Damn, did they send you to joke with me, Leonhart?" Seifer raised an eyebrow, "I could not stand being there anymore."

"That…" Squall frowned at the sudden strike of realization, "…you didn't make the speech of apology out of will, didn't you?"

"No, the press was there, too, so I had to comply with their orders and requests," Seifer said, "I don't wanna talk bad about Headmaster Cid or anything 'cuz the man, frankly, is like a father figure to me, but he's a damned annoying man when it comes to making requests…he practically twisted my arm."

"When did this happen, and why don't I know about this?" Squall asked quickly, his eyes resting on the two figures behind Seifer for the first time. One registered in his memory as Raijin, but the other one, he was completely sure he had never seen before.

"During your coma," Seifer replied curtly.

"Oh…" Squall said quietly as he remembered what happened right after Ultimecia disappeared. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the Garden's infirmary with Rinoa next to his side and finding out that he had slept for a week. He did turn out to be all right since the doctor informed him that he was only overexhausted, sleep-deprived, and emotionally stressed with all the stuff that had went on.

"So how've you been?" Seifer said sarcastically, "It looks as if our Commander is doing just peachy, ain't he?"

"Shut up, Seifer," Squall dismissed the comment, "I'm in no mood to fight you now."

"Really?" Seifer said, eyeing carefully at Squall's injuries that were still leaking fresh blood, "Not in the mood, or not able to?"

"I swear…"

"I swear what?" Seifer smirked, "Maybe this is my turn of luck."

Seifer unfolded his arms and took a step towards Squall. Slowly, he reached up a hand and grabbed the front of Squall's shirt. Squall grunted, but was unable to defend for himself in his condition.

"Hey, hey!" Laine began to move towards the two, "I thought you guys were having the conversation of the reunion of the century."

"Get the hell outta here, whoever you are!" Seifer shouted, tightening his grip on Squall's shirt, "As for you, Leonhart, I can beat you up right here and right now."

Squall stared at Seifer blankly, refusing to show any sign of fear or withdrawal. Seifer smirked again as he noticed the typical Squall Leonhart. He could be beaten to the verge of death, and yet the look of loathing and defiance would still shine within his eyes.

"Well, that's gonna bring the end of you faster, Leonhart!" Seifer said harshly, and with a quick thrust, he threw Squall back on the snow. The impact upset his injuries and fresh blood spilled upon the white snow.

"Hey!" Chriselle spoke up, jumping in between the two.

"But I know what you're thinking, Leonhart," Seifer drew back slightly, "I know you're probably thinking I'm doing the lowest thing any fighter could've done. So…"

Squall eyed him dangerously from his sitting position on the snow.

"…I'm not gonna do it," Seifer said resolutely, "I wanna beat you from a high and proud position, not from a lowly coward's view…"

Squall lowered his gaze and chuckled.

"You've changed quite a bit…" he remarked.

"All right now," Laine spoke up, "Now that we've established the fact that we're not gonna cut each other's throat for now, why don't we start talking?"

"Starting with the question of why you shot down our ship," Chriselle said coldly, making a firm eye contact with Seifer.

"What can I say?" Seifer shrugged, "You people were on our turf."

"What?" Laine said angrily, "Now it's illegal to even fly over snow?"

"Not just snow," Seifer turned around and pointed, "See that over there? That's our hideout, I thought we made our point clear that no one should be seen around here but us."

"But we need to get to Shumi," Chriselle said firmly.

"I'm sorry, baby, but you gotta go around," Seifer smirked.

"Well, we have an injured person with us," Chriselle said tonelessly, throwing a look at Squall, "We need help right away, or he won't last for the next half hour."

"That serious?" Seifer frowned, "What happened?"

"I'm glad to see that you're all talking without biting each other," Laine said, moving to sit next to Squall, "But let's get with the reunion later and take care of the Commander."

"How did he…?" Seifer asked, "If Griever was with him…Wait, shouldn't Griever be with him since Ultimecia is…?"

"Griever?" Squall asked dumbly, then it registered in his mind, "Oh, Griever, the Guardian Force, he's suddenly gone…I've forgotten about him."

"Griever?" Chriselle asked, "But Griever can't be controlled or ordered by anyone. He's a sacred Guardian Force that only comes to help the worthy in dire and critical situations. He never stays forever with one person…"

"But he was just with me," Squall said.

"Then you were worthy for his help," Chriselle explained, "Long ago, Griever also fought by my side because I was worthy of his strength. But…somehow, he wasn't there when I faced against Ultimecia."

"Ultimecia had control of Griever already? Even back then?" Squall asked.

"I guessed at the time," Chriselle said, "Don't worry, Commander Leonhart, you will see Griever again, since I myself think you are a very worthy warrior. But…"

Chriselle paused, staring ahead.

"It is an interesting fact to find out," she continued, "It had been so long since I heard of Griever again, or the warrior that he is protecting."

"So is it true that Ultimecia can control…?" Squall began.

"Yes," Chriselle cut him off quickly, "She's that powerful, Commander. And Griever's free now because she is gone, but it won't be so peaceful for long."

"Chriselle," Laine interrupted, "Please, Sis, let's save this for later."

"All right, very well," Seifer said, "It looks as if we have something going on here that might be worthy of my attention. Besides, I'm in the mood for storytime. I'll make an exception and provide you shelter within my hideout. And for Leonhart's injuries, Rayna can take care of them."

"Rayna?" Squall asked.

"Rayna Laxiana," Seifer gestured towards the girl standing quietly behind him, "I picked her up shortly after I made this little group with Fujin and Raijin. She might be one obnoxious girl, but when it comes to medical skills, I dare you to find someone better."

"Dam right," the red-haired girl spoke up for the first time. For a second, Squall found it hard to believe she was a doctor. In many other doctors' eyes, he had always seen the look of kindness and sincerity. But in Rayna's, all he saw was the cold look of malice and venom. The way she dressed was also out of the picture. Her short skirt shagged extremely low and only kept to her waist by a long, thin strip of cloth that was used as a belt. Her shirt looked like a top that was torn in half, with the top half worn on her body and the second half obviously thrown away. She had done extra work on pulling the shirt extremely low, showing the top of her breasts. The last exclusive feature on her body was the ring pierced right above her belly button.

"That's Rayna," Seifer nodded, smirking.

"So who's my patient?" Rayna stepped forward and squatted down in front of Squall. Squall tried not to make eye contact with her but failed miserably as he noticed the strange eye color that radiated within. They were green, but strangely mixed with a swirl of brown that could dangerously draw in a person and have him gazing hopelessly at them for hours. Whoever it would be would most likely find himself lost within a haze of whirling dream, never finding a way out. But Squall was not the type. In his heart, there was already a woman residing her place there.

"Commander Leonhart of Balamb Garden," Seifer said, answering Rayna.

"Quite a cute one," Rayna grinned, reaching out a hand to smooth his blood-matted hair, "Haven't had such a handsome one in awhile."

"Quit it, Rayna, you're a doctor," Seifer rolled his eyes, and turned around, "Come on, you can do your flirting back at the base."

"Come on, cutie," Rayna said, and though she was being sweet, the venom in her voice hadn't dissipated, as if it was a curse she was to carry forever. Gently, she looped one of Squall's arms around her shoulder and hoisted both of them up.

"The base is just over here," Raijin said, taking a head start and leading the way.

"Careful," Laine said and followed after Raijin quickly. Seifer smirked and was about to go when a hand laid on his shoulder.

"What?" Seifer glanced behind him, annoyance in his tone.

"What are we going to do about the ship?" Chriselle's eyes met his firmly once more. Seifer frowned and averted his gaze away.

"Sorry," he said, "We don't fix."

Without warning, Chriselle's grip on his shoulder tightened, her nails burying into his leather uniform and pricked his flesh. Roughly, she spun him around.

"Pardon me?" Chriselle said coldly.

"Chris!" Laine turned around abruptly and ran towards them immediately.

"He's can't fix my Aeria," Chriselle said tonelessly.

"Let him go, Chris," Laine said firmly, prying her hand off Seifer's shoulder. Seifer stumbled back upon being freed and clutched his slightly injured spot.

"This your chick?" Seifer asked, wincing, "Got quite a rough hand. Can she do anything else?"

Chriselle's eyes set upon Seifer's again.

"Yes, I can," she said, "Starting with busting your face."

"Chris, calm down," Laine restrained her by taking ahold of her shoulders, then turned to Seifer, "She's not my chick, she's my sister."

"Well, tell your sister to keep her hand to herself," Seifer smirked.

"Honestly, maybe I should let her beat you up," Laine returned the smirk.

"Let me, my brother," Chriselle requested.

"No, Chris," Laine said, "If you kill him now, it'll do us no good. Don't get angry."

"What's angry?" Chriselle blurted, "Please do not use words I can't understand."

Laine slapped his forehead and groaned.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm really sorry."

"Hey, if she ain't angry, then what is she?" Seifer asked skeptically, "She nearly ripped my flesh off."

"She's only doing what she registers as right," Laine sighed as he explained, "Since you did something offensive to her, she only saw it as right to finish you off."

"So, acting on instincts and for survival, eh?" Seifer said, "Interesting, so why ain't she angry, really? Anything I should know."

"Long story," Laine said, "And it's not important. It's not gonna change your life if you know…"

"I see, well, let's go now," Seifer said, "Dusk will set soon and I don't wanna freeze out here in this snow. Well, if you guys would like to stay, go right ahead."

"Let's go," Laine said, guiding Chriselle forward, one hand still firm on her shoulder, "If we're in luck, we might find some engineers. How bad was the damage?"

"The controls stopped functioning a minute after impact," Chriselle replied, "They must have hit the vital points of the ship."

"Don't worry, we'll find an engineer," Laine said reassuringly in a concerned tone.

AN: Once again, sorry for the long wait!


	18. Thoughts of a Disappointed Sister

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 18

Thoughts of a Disappointed Sister

_Disappointed couldn't nearly describe how I feel… _

_I've put complete faith and trust in that foolish brother of mine, hoping we could pull this plan off, but now…_

_Now he had to go and get himself in the hands and at the mercy of our enemies!_

_Ever since mother's death, I've been the one who did most of the grieving. My brother was sad to some extend but he was more eager and ferocious about avenging her. Finally, we got together one day and decided to pull off a plan that would mean the undoubted downfall of the warrior who laid down the end for our mother._

_Of course, we failed, well, not entirely. We were nearly successful when that foolish brother of mine had to go and greedily seek Sorceress Rinoa's power, triggering the girl to recognize him as who he really was, not Squall. And now he had to be under the hands of our enemies, and as an older sister, I will have to bail him out._

_I am angry, frustrated, and disappointed. This was entirely upon him!_

_But once I've freed him, I promise I will pour all these emotions upon another and save my brother the agony._

_Squall Leonhart will learn the strength of my magic by firsthand experience, and he won't live to tell…_

AN: I'm still happy to be writing…but, I wonder…what happened to all my reviewers…?

(Crickets chirping)


	19. Laera, a Mystery that Baffled Many

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter

Chapter 19

Laera, a Mystery that Baffled Many

Quistis sat still at a table in the cafeteria, absently stirring her cup of vanilla ice-cream. It was the morning after the confrontation with the injured Sorcerer that had tried to imitate Squall and committed a crime in Garden. Both her and Rinoa had tried till their last exhausted breath to pump any information out of him. However, he was one tough piece of concrete for a fragile looking person. Quistis had resorted to threatening him with her whip, but then Dr. Kadowaki ran in and sternly ordered them both out of her patient's quarter.

"I am a doctor, and my job is to heal," she had said angrily.

Quistis sighed again for the tenth time and lifted a half spoon of ice-cream to her lips, letting the coldness touch but not slipping to her tongue. Doctor Kadowaki had been a very devoted doctor but sometimes, her devotion got on Quistis' nerves. And right now, she was trying her hardest to calm herself with a cold cup of ice-cream. Rinoa had already left for her room, doing who-knows-what, most likely sitting and thinking about Squall, praying for his safety. Frustrated, Quistis pushed the spoon through her slightly parted lips and swallowed down the ice-cream without tasting it.

"Mad, aren't you?" a familiar voice spoke next to her and she lowered the spoon to look up.

"Zell?" she asked as he took a seat next to her and set down his hot dogs.

"I got some hot dogs before they run out, what luck today," Zell said, then his tone turned solemn, "What happened so far?"

"The Doctor still wouldn't let us use force on that Lukre guy," Quistis sighed.

"That's ridiculous," Zell said, taking a bite out of one of his hot dogs, "He's our enemy, clearly."

"Yes," Quistis said, "But she didn't say we can't. She said we only can do it when he's healed…"

"But he's an enemy, he shouldn't have any special treatment,"

"I know, but the Doctor's devoted,"

"It's early in the morning, Quistis," Zell chuckled, "Why's the ice-cream? Trying to drown out some depression?"

"Shut up Zell, before I shove this ice-cream down your throat," Quistis said tonelessly, "I'm tired now, don't joke with me."

"I know, I know," Zell said, "Sorry, worried about him, are you?"

"Geez, what gave you the impression?" Quistis replied, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"All right," Zell nodded, "You know, I have things to be guilty for, too. I was the one who searched his room without his consent and found that bloody Gunblade. Shoulda known it was a fake piece of evidence."

"I should have known he was innocent, too," Quistis said, stirring her ice-cream again, "We all should have know, I think."

"Yeah," Zell put down his hot dog, "We all should, I wonder where he is now."

"I hope he's still running," Quistis said.

"We can search for him, you know," Zell suggested.

"Really, and leave Garden?" Quistis asked, "We all have loads to do now. Selphie herself has Trabia to take care of, and I know you got things to do, too, Zell, as hard as it is to believe."

"Nah, I'm good," Zell said, "Think about it, it'll kinda be like old times, we can recruit all of us together again, except we won't have Squall this time. But it'll be all good when we find him, right?"

"You talk as if this was so easy," Quistis laughed, picking up another spoonful of ice-cream.

"Quistis! Zell!" a voice screamed as it approached closer to the cafeteria, "Thank Heavens I found you two!"

"Xu?" Quistis dropped her spoon into the ice-cream cup so quick droplets of melted ice-cream sprayed slightly upwards.

"Quistis, come quick," Xu said, catching her breath, "Meet the Headmaster and Doctor Kadowaki in the Headmaster's office, because…"

"Xu, calm down," Quistis quickly stood up and walked over to the black-haired girl who was still trying to catch her breath.

"Laera is missing," Xu blurted out at last.

"What!" Zell leapt from his chair, his fists slammed down on the table so hard that his hot dogs almost bounced off and onto the floor.

"Laera is missing!"

That was all that came out of Quistis' lips as she dashed madly into the Headmaster's office. Had the door been closed or locked, she would have busted it down in her panic and rage.

"Ah, Quistis, I see you've joined us," the Headmaster looked up from his paperwork and gestured Quistis to a chair in the corner, next to Rinoa. Quistis, however, did not see the gesture and stood there, impatiently waiting for the disturbing news.

"Headmaster, please begin," Xu rushed in after Quistis, followed by Zell, "I think we have everybody."

"All right," Headmaster Cid stood up slowly and looked at his wife, who was standing next to the window, "I've just heard from Doctor Kadowaki…"

He paused, nodding at the doctor, who was standing close to the desk.

"…I've heard that Laera is gone," Cid said tiredly, "I don't believe it myself. It can't be kidnapping because who would kidnap a dead body…"

"Nothing makes sense," Edea spoke up, "But if it is a kidnapper…it's a good thing he or she did not take Lukre, too."

"Lukre is safe?" Quistis asked, leaning against the doorframe, "Thank goodness. We'll need him. He's going to be an important ingredient to getting Squall back."

"But don't you think that's odd?" Rinoa spoke, "I mean, Lukre is right there, it'd be impossible for the kidnapper to not see him. Unless, don't you think someone intentionally took Laera, knowing that she was dead."

"That makes sense, vaguely," Edea said, then turned to Quistis, "Dear, you should close the door and step inside, we don't want this to get out to the Garden yet."

Quistis complied and walked in, letting the door snap close behind her.

"This mess is just getting bigger," Zell sighed, leaning against the wall, "How are we gonna tell that girl's parents?"

"If she had any parent…" Rinoa began.

"Why don't we put that on hold for now?" Edea suggested, "Even if we wanted to, we can't break their hearts yet by letting them know their daughter's dead and kidnapped. That'll be both painful and silly to hear."

"It's a strange thing," Doctor Kadowaki said, "I only left for breakfast, and when I returned, she was nowhere to be found."

"Security is pretty high around here, right?" Rinoa asked.

"The best," Quistis nodded, then turned to Cid, "Is that right? Nothing changed since I left, right?"

"Yes, Instructor Trepe," Cid said, and Quistis rolled her eyes.

"Headmaster, please, don't," Quistis said.

"Anyways, if that wuss Lukre is still here," Zell suggested, "It's doing us no good sitting around here and talking about missing Laera or missing Squall. Why don't we jump start on it right away by paying this Lukre another visit?"

"Doctor?" Quistis looked at Doctor Kadowaki questioningly for permission.

"All right," the doctor sighed, "You may. Since the situation's so critical…I'll turn around and pretend nothing had happened behind my back. Go ahead, get the answers you need."

"Thanks, doctor," Quistis smiled, then turned around and started out of the room.

"Wait up, Quistis," Zell was right behind her, "I can give him a punch or two."

"You two!" Doctor Kadowaki shouted, and they both turned around, "Promise me you'll try your hardest to bring Squall back."

"That is never the question," Quistis nodded and smiled.

Everyone departed from the Headmaster's office, and soon, it was only Edea, Cid, and Rinoa that lingered behind.

"Well, young lady," Cid asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Headmaster," Rinoa said, "I wanna speak to you alone about something."

"Alone?" Edea asked, "Is it that serious?"

"You can listen in, too, Edea," Rinoa said, "It's because I've a theory, and I don't want anybody to belive falsely yet, so I've come to you."

"All right, try me," Cid said.

"Not yet…" Rinoa said, "Headmaster, please, will you give me permission and access to the school's entire student database?"

"Wow…that's…" Cid said, surprised.

"I knew that was going to be your reaction," Rinoa said, "But please, I need to find something, I need to make sure of it first."

"Dear…" Edea started as Cid lowered his head in indecisiveness.

"Please, Headmaster,"

"Dear, if she had penetrated through to earn Squall's trust…" Edea began, putting hand on Cid's shoulder, "…and love, then I think it's safe to say that we, too, can trust her as well."

Cid sighed one last time, and looked up at Rinoa. He smiled.

"All right, I trust you," he said gently, "You will find the data in the computer in the private room behind Squall's office. The password is…"

AN: Ahem, another chapter done, and…u knoe, my reviewers are not showing any love lately…


	20. Dark Intentions

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter 

Chapter 19  
Dark Intentions

"Ow! That hurts!"

That was all that came out of Squall for the past half hour as Rayna worked on his injuries. Raijin had taken them through the usual underground passage to Seifer's hideout. The place was damp and musty. In the corners, a few unwanted visitors stuck their noses out as they had taken in the unfamiliar new scents in the air. The living condition was so poor Squall had to wonder how Seifer survived even a week in here.

"Geez, can you stop being such a crybaby?" Rayna said irritatedly as she put pressure on one of his wounds deliberately.

"OW!" he almost screamed.

"This is the Commander Leonhart?" Rayna smirked, then pinched one of his cheeks, "Oh, well, he's still cute."

"Rayna," Seifer said in the corner, "You're supposed to heal your patient, not injure him further."

"Alright, alright, I'm all done," Rayna rolled her eyes and stood up, running a hand through her red hair, "Geez, cute guys seldomly pass by and I can't even have fun with one when he's right here with me."

With that, Rayna cleaned away her medical equipments and stuffed them in a trunk laid against the wall. Then, walking to a haystack at one corner, she laid down and yawned.

"All right, what we wanna talk about?" Rayna said, "But I gotta say, your injuries were far the most serious ones I've treated. And what did I get? Not even a word of thanks."

"Are you sure she's a doctor?" Squall whispered to Fujin, who was cleaning up the blood that pooled around Squall.

"POSITIVE," Fujin nodded, then leaned in closer to whisper, "Seifer found her not too far away from the Deling plains before fleeing here to build a hideout. She doesn't talk much about herself but I think we know her enough, by the way she acts."

Squall could not hide an expression of surprise as Fujin stood up and threw the bloody rag against one of the corners in the dark room.

"Eh, when you go out, remember to trash that rag somewhere else," Raijin said.

"AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin nodded.

"Shall we start with our "story" now?" Seifer asked.

"Why do you ask?" Chriselle said, "You the one who been talking for the past half hour about yourself and asking us a bunch of useless questions about our Kingdom."

"Yes, a person needs to know," Seifer said firmly, "Who knows if you're just some thieves from somewhere looking for shelter."

"Then, would that be such burden?" she retorted, her expression calm.

"Sure, I don't take in homeless people," Seifer nodded, "This is our turf."

"Would Rayna make any different?" Laine jumped in.

"Rayna…" Seifer hesitated, "Rayna was different, yes…"

"HALF-DEAD," Fujin said.

"Yes, she was found half-dead," Seifer said, gathering his voice, "Yes, it appeared someone had beaten her, but she refused to talk about it. I wasn't surprised much, since she much be some homeless kid looking around for food and got beaten for stealing or something…"

He paused, looking at Rayna for any response.

"What surprises me is the fact that she's a doctor," Seifer said, "I never knew a girl who lives on stealing would have so much medical knowledge."

"Let me guess, she never told you, either," Laine smirked.

"Yeah," Seifer sighed.

"Can we get on with it?" Chriselle spoke coldly, "He's falling asleep."

Though she never mentioned the name, everyone knew immediately who she was talking about as if by instincts. At once, all pairs of eyes were on Squall, who was leaning against the wall with his head down, as if trying to get into a resting position. Swearing, Seifer motioned for Raijin to come over and wake him up.

"Let me," Laine waved Rajin away dismissively and walked over to Squall, tilting his head up, "Hey, Commander, you passing out on us?"

"N-Nah," Squall muttered, surprising Laine as he had not expected an answer, "Just sleepy."

"That's just grand," Seifer said, "Hey, chick, start with your little story before he dozes off here."

"Well," Laine sighed, rushing a quick hand through his hair, "This might sound like a blunt start, but…ah, the world's gonna be in chaos again."

"Well, blunt enough," Seifer muttered, "Go on, your beginning line is a enough of a catch phrase. Ever heard of writing an essay?"

"Seifer," Rayna snapped, "Be serious."

"All right," Seifer chuckled, "OK, now, seriously, go on."

"Let's see, where do you want to start, Chriselle?" Laine asked, eyeing his sister.

"We were on our way to search for one bear the name of Lion's Child," Chriselle picked up monotonously, "We heard news of him being the one to strike down Ultimecia. We thought then, that he could be just the ally we're looking for to fight this upcoming chaos."

"What kind of…?" Squall started, "And am I…?"

"Yes, you are the Lion's Child we speak of," Chriselle said, nodding, "The reason you are called so is because…"

She paused.

"Laine?" she turned to her brother.

"Well," Laine scratched his head, "Sorry, my sister lack words. You see, there was this very strong warrior that bear the mark of a lion. And as you know too well, a lion is a symbol for courage, strength, and power. Well, he died long ago of course, but people still say his soul lives on to save the generations that were to come. And as time passed, the soul would be sealed into warriors that were seen as worthy. It seems you are one of the chosens, Commander Leonhart."

"Chosens? There are others besides me?" he asked.

"Before you, and yes, there might be after you, too," Laine grinned, "Interesting, isn't it?"

"Fascinating," Squall said sarcastically, "So what does that fact of Ultimecia have to do with all this."

"Well, as we told you before," Laine said, "Chriselle and I came from Lexania."

He paused, looking as Seifer to make sure he understood it. After all, they were just done telling him the background of their story for the past half hour.

"Right, Ultimecia reigned even back then," Seifer nodded.

"Yeah," Laine sighed, "Well, we lived, not really…But anyways, we knew that wasn't over. We carried bitter revenge in our hearts for 200 years without any leads. Well, at least I was. All Chriselle was doing was repeat 'kill Ultimecia' in her head like a programmed machine. We finally had our lead when we heard of Sorceress Edea. Nonetheless, she was Edea, not Ultimecia. Still, we were keen on finding out. However, we were unsuccessful. We followed this Edea secretly and she did seem suspicious at first because she acted terribly like Ultimecia. But afterwards, when we caught her at a ruined place that has a view to the ocean, she was acting…more tranquil. We also sensed a more relief and calmness in her soul as well. We couldn't understand. And then one day, you guessed it. We heard of a warrior who unfearfully struck down Ultimecia. We knew it had to be the Lion's Child for no one else had the strength to do so."

"But then," Chriselle picked up, "Looking for child was something else. Again, we had no leads, still, traveling the sky and looking at vast lands did us no good."

"But one day, we did manage to find the name Squall Leonhart…" Laine said, "As it appeared on news all over the world."

"Asking around, we finally narrowed our search to Balamb Garden," Chriselle went on, "But as fate had it, the day that we wanted to meet up with you, something ugly happened. It started with that girl in your office that morning."

"Laera…?" Squall asked, vaguely picking up the name.

"So Laera was what she told you, was it?" Chriselle asked.

"You believed her?" Laine hid his face his hand and something that sounded like a chuckle followed.

"Her real name?" Squall asked.

"Well…her real name…" Chriselle began.

"…is LaeRana," Rinoa said, also unable to believe her own words.

"Lae-Rana?" Quistis fingered her chin, squinting as if that could help her understand. Quietly, she turned off her laptop and rested her elbows on her desk and listened to Rinoa. Rinoa, who had barged in on Quistis in her teaching room, now was standing with flushed cheeks as if she had been running or had seen something quite excited.

"Yes, that was the reason we were unable to find her before," Rinoa said, breathless, "She goes by the name Laera. In the school's database…"

"But why did she sign up as LaeRana in our database?" Quistis asked, "And more importantly, how did you get access to our database?"

"That's not the question," Rinoa said irritatedly, "Now we need to worry about this. No, she did not sign up as LaeRana in the database. Rather, she added an e at the end of her name so it would be difficult. It appeared she planned this before."

"Laerae?" Quistis asked, scribbling down on quick notecard she found on her desk.

"Yes, I knew that what's she would do," Rinoa said, "We would have figured out her trick anyways but since she's new so nobody got to know her so much yet so she decided to pull the crime before anybody could figure this out."

"So you're saying Laera planned this all along?" Quistis asked, "She wanted to kill herself to make Squall a criminal? And still, how did you find out the name LaeRana?"

"Sorceress link," Rinoa said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorceress link," she repeated, "I still have a portion of Ultimecia's memories in me when Ellone…"

"All right, I understand," Quistis interrupted, "Go on."

"Anyways," Rinoa said, "When I saw the name Laerae on the computer, I had a connection to it immediately.

"I see," Quistis said, then gasped, "But then, it means…"

"Yes," Rinoa nodded.

"Ultimecia's child?" Seifer asked incredulously.

"Yes," Laine said, "Bear with this seemingly ridiculous story, my friends. We're 200 years experienced, you think we'll lie?"

"Hell, yeah," Rayna commented, "Easy."

"Anyways," Laine continued, ignoring the comment, "We knew the wrath of Ultimecia could never end, and we could only be thankful that we were given the abilities of the Earth and Wind Masters to be able to have a chance to conquer this evil Sorceress once more. However, someone else beat us to that."

"Raise your hand, Leonhart," Seifer said sarcastically.

"But we knew it wasn't over for we still sensed evil lingering in the air, bitter evil that did not want to let go," Laine said, "Lost prophecy long ago said that when Ultimecia would be defeated at last, her shredded soul would be tear into two, one will from a being with the most unimaginable sorcery skills and one with a heart that only knew violence and strength. The air reeked of the rotten smell of those two shredded souls and we could not ignore them. That's why we decided to searched for the Lion's Child."

"So you're hoping if he struck down mother hen before," Seifer said, "He'd be able to strike down the chicks, too?"

"Correct," Chriselle nodded.

"I don't know," Raijin jumped in, "This story reeks of suspicion. They sounds like a circus that was trained to tell stories for money."

"AGREED," Fujin said.

"It's true…" Chriselle began.

"So you're telling us we have Ultimecia's spawns running among us?" Seifer said, "Why ain't the world exploding into bits yet?"

"He's the reason why," Laine pointed down to Squall.

"Eh?" Squall asked, surprised.

"What? He hadn't done anything except try to bleed to death," Seifer smirked.

"No, LaeRana worked with her brother, named LukEtan," Chriselle said, "At least, that was the best of our knowledge of his real name."

"Yeah, she worked with her brother to create that scene to banish Squall out of their view," Laine said, "They wanted to create the catastrophe that their mother started, but they did not want to go through the same tragic mistake she did. That mistake was Squall. They wanted to take him out but lacked the power to do so since they hadn't grown to their fullest yet. Either that…or they were afraid to risk facing Squall to meet the same fate as their mother."

"That scene…" Squall murmured, half asleep.

"What scene?" Seifer asked.

"Long story," Squall said.

"I'll tell you later," Laine said, "Me and Chriselle had been watching his every step. We know the whole story. But now…"

"Now we ask for the Commander's help," Chriselle said.

"Help?" Squall asked, then his eyes opened fully, "But wait…if you've been watching my every step, why didn't you try to…?"

"Save you?" Laine asked, smiling, "We wanted to make sure you were really the Lion's Child we sought."

"You watched me being tortured for that?" Squall almost laughed.

"I'm sorry, Commander Leonhart," Laine said, "We had to, we did try to save you, though, but we sensed Griever's presence in the air, and we knew all would be well."

"The best we could do then was to wait for your escape," Chriselle said, "Unfortunately, it had to turn out for the worst when they chased you with those bayonets and machine guns."

"All we could do then was catch you when you decided to practice the sport of cliff jumping," Laine almost chuckled.

"I see…" Squall said.

"But now that we're convinced," Laine said, "And really sorry…"

He paused, waiting for a response from Squall, such as an acceptance of their apology. However, none came and he was forced to continue.

"We wanted to request your help, Commander," Laine said.

"Help?" Squall asked again.

"Yes, we believed strongly that when LaeRana and LukEtan believed they've gotten rid of you, they will try once more to attempt what their mother tried to do," Laine said, "Absolute power by time compression, erase everything out of existence."

"She did that to my Kingdom, didn't she?" Chriselle asked blankly.

"Our Kingdom, sis, _our_ Kingdom," Laine said heavily, "And we're gonna bring her down _together_, alright?"

"We're be stronger like that," Chriselle nodded.

"Anyways," Laine said, "This is the reason we've searched for you so, please accept our help, for your world is in grave danger and we dearly wished nothing like the catastrophe of Lexania is repeated ever again."

"Revenge…" Chriselle uttered suddenly.

"Yes, Chriselle, it will come," Laine said, "Please, don't let it get to you."

"Commander Leonhart," Chriselle said coldly, yet her eyes burned with something for the first time, the passion of revenge, "Don't let the world die in crimson flames and disintegrated within time, join up with us."

"Leonhart?" Laine added, almost pleading.

"The world…" Squall said, "Sounds a bit much…I never thought I was saving the world when I defeated Ultimecia, I thought I was only making a difference, to right the wrong."

"Hmmm," Seifer smirked, "You've always been a good boy."

"I don't know about this," Squall said, "But I'll fight to the best of my abilities. Count me in and let me fight."

Laine looked shocked, as if he hadn't expected such an easy, smooth answer. After a second, he laughed with relief and leaned against the wall to stop his shaking.

"At last, Chris," he said, "Our search is over."

"Yes," Chriselle said, "But a whole new mission had opened. We'll take down the spawns of Ultimecia."

"Whoa, not yet," Laine stopped laughing, "There's still one more thing. There's still one more target that they'll mostly be looking for before they begin this chaos. She possessed sorcery powers that might prove to be a treat to them."

"I think you know her," Chriselle said, "As I've heard you speak her name."

"W-What?" Squall asked.

"Yes…"

"N-No, it can't be…"

"Rinoa!"

A voice penetrated through the young girl's thoughts, snapping her out of her daydream.

"What's wrong?" Quistis said, "You were talking to me about Ultimeica's children, and you just spaced out."

"Uh, ah, um…" Rinoa said, "No, nothing, sorry, daydreaming."

"You sure?" Quistis asked.

"Yes," Rinoa nodded confidently, trying to prove herself.

"In that case," Quistis said, "Well, do you know anything more other than LaeRana and LukEtan being Ultimecia's children?"

"N-No, that's it," Rinoa said, "That's all I found out. But I must…let others know, too."

"Yes, begin with Master Cid, please," Quistis said seriously, "If we have such dangerous beings in here, please guard the infirmary heavily."

"Yes," Rinoa said, "Unfortunately, LaeRana was able to make her escape. We still don't know what she's up to, though…"

"We'll find out in time," Quistis said reassuringly, "Should you go to bed? You look sorta pale? You sure you're OK?"

"Y-Yes…" Rinoa said, quickly leaving through the sliding door before Quistis could ask some more questions.

Rinoa dashed through the hallway to her dorm, suppressing her tears the entire way. Of course she was not all right. For a brief second, she had heard _his_ voice, desperately calling out to her.

AN: Sorie for the long wait, but with the lack of reviews, I couldn't be encouraged enough to continue. Besides, I was working extra hard on this, too, so it took extra long. .


	21. Recap

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

Important!

Dis is not really an update. Just a little bit of what u would call a chapter to help readers who are confused. Hope it helps. And don't worry, I promise I'll get the REAL chapter up soon enuff!

And thanx 2 all my reviewers who responded so nicely. I love u, I luv you all! U give the motivation to go on!

The Imposter Chapter 21  
Recap

_200 years ago…_

_There was a beautiful nation that went by the name of Lexania, ruled by the peaceful King and Queen who always wanted to bless their land with goodness and holy…_

_Shortly after their marriage, they had a handsome son by the name of Laine. Soon after, another glorious day came as the Queen once more gave birth to a beautiful child. This time, she was a girl, bearing the name of Chris Elle…_

_They both grew up to be courageous and strong, always looking out for one another. However, peace and happiness were relinquished in an instant as the force of Ultimecia began to threaten their land…_

_Chris Elle and Laine, determined to not go down without a fight, strapped on their weapons and headed into battle with a fatal cry…_

_However, as strong as they were, they lost the battle that could exchange for their people's happiness…_

_Without mercy, their Kingdom went down in flames, and soon were lost to the world, as their history was lost within the flow of time…_

_But then, at the last desperate moments, Chris Elle was able to tap in with the forces of her Guardian, the Phoenix. With its last remaining strength and the power of her heart, Chris Elle and Laine were able to be resurrected again with the souls of two of the Seven Masters, the Earth Master and the Wind Master…_

_Now, riding the sky with no limits, Chris Elle and Laine searched with all their might for the Lion's Child, the only one known in history to have struck down Ultimecia…_

_They thought their search was over when the smell of Ultimecia vanished from the air, but right then, a much more frightening presence made itself known. Ultimecia's soul had split in two, just as the prophecy unfolds…_

_LaeRana, one with a heart that craves violence and blood…_

_LukEtan, one with unimaginable sorcery powers…_

_Together, they planned to conquer the world and seal everything within time and be the absolute beings, just as their mother attempted before them…_

_Now, Chris Elle's and Laine's search was over at last, as they have found and received the help from the Lion's Child. Furthermore, along the way, they had unintentionally recruited some allies as well, a man named Seifer being one of them. The search was over, but the mission was only beginning…_

_Together, they sworn to put an end to Ultimecia and her spawns for the last time…_

_They would go into battle together, each with their own reasons to shed blood…_

_Chris Elle and Laine, for their Kingdom…_

_Seifer, for the reputation that he had long lost…_

_And so on…_

_However, the one with the most reason to fight was Squall Leonhart, the Lion's Child…_

_He will fight to gain his friends' trust that was shattered, to restore the peace to the world that he felt great responsibility upon, and most of all, to win back the woman of his life into his heart…_


	22. Father and Son, Face to Face

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter 

Chapter 22  
Father and Son, Face to Face

Rinoa tapped her foot on the tile floor impatiently as she was deeply annoyed. Even her, his own daughter, could not be greeted without an enormous stretch of wait in between. Scattered about the room of her house that was made to look like an office were Quistis, Zell, and Irvine and Selphie who had rushed over immediately after hearing their call. They were determined to get back Squall from the Deling Prison. If all else should fail, they thought, they still have Rinoa on their side, and she would try her best to pull on her sweet daughter act.

The door slid open and already, a sense of heaviness filled the room before the General stepped in.

"Father…?" Rinoa bowed slightly as General Caraway walked in with his eyes forward, as if not acknowledging anyone in the room.

"My daughter," he said stiffly, then his eyes softened slightly, "I am glad you've come, but my heart aches when I know _why_ you've come."

"Not to visit you," Rinoa said curtly.

"I figure as much," he nodded, taking in the room to see the scattered SeeDs that have temporarily retired. However, the dark and lust of battles still lingered in their eyes as they looked at him without respect. Yet, they weren't looking at him with any hint of loathing or hate, either.

"Let me just quicken this," Quistis said abruptly, "We've come for Squall."

Silence filled the room. Then, Rinoa nodded slightly.

"That's right, father," she said coldly, "We won't make any deals or exchange, we're just straight out asking for Squall back."

"Well, that was blunt enough," the General scratched his chin, "And as tempting as that sounded, I'm afraid we can't give back your Commander."

A heavy sigh floated across the room, as the SeeDs had already seen this coming. Of course the General would refuse. What had they expected? That he just say yes and handed Squall to them with a smile.

"Ridiculous!" Quistis shouted, "You don't have a right to disagree in the first place. It was Garden's order that Squall was to be captured, but Garden never gave permission for anyone to keep him."

"That's true," Zell spoke, his blue eyes staring at the General coldly, "And since Squall is from Garden, it is Garden's job to take care of Squall's punishment."

"Yes, that is very true," the General said calmly, "And I agree. But will you at least hear me out?"

"All right," Quistis said, "But your reasons won't stop us from getting Squall back."

"That's just it," he said, "The reason I can't give back Squall is because he's not here."

"Father!" Rinoa said angrily, "What do you mean?"

"He better not have sent Squall somewhere to die," Irvine said.

"Show your respect," the General said, "I am, after all, the General of the Deling military forces."

"Let's go, guys," Rinoa said, starting out the door first, "It is clear that Squall is not here."

"Wait," Selphie said, "Aren't you going to question him further? I mean, he might still…"

"I know my father," Rinoa said, staring at him in the eyes, "He won't lie about these things."

"Yes, thank you, Rinoa," Caraway said, "I would never lie about business like this. It appears your commander has ran off."

Rinoa kept a calm face as she rushed out the door before the rest. As Selphie, Irvine, and Zell walked out, Quistis was the only one that remained behind. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she stood up as well and head for the door. However, before stepping out, she turned her face slightly.

"Respect, eh?" she said, amused, "We were only respecting you in the past because you've hired us, but now we're no longer being used by you like you did back then."

"Used?" he asked.

"Yes, Squall learned everything from NORG," Quistis smiled as shock was written on Caraway's face, "But don't worry, it is in the past, as is our respect for you. Besides, it is the tough time of war, we can't trust and obey and anyone except ourselves."

"Time of war?" he asked.

"Yes, you heard right," she said curtly and walked out the door before he was able to ask more.

Quistis walked out of the door, disappearing completely out of the General's sight. As soon as she heaved a breath, she opened her eyes to look at the rest, who were waiting outside at the front of the gate to the house.

"That was no good," Selphie said, frowning.

"Think he's telling the truth?" Zell asked.

"My father doesn't lie," Rinoa said, then smiled lightly, "I'm glad he didn't go into the whole lecture about what's good for me and whatnot…"

"Why?" Selphie asked.

"Well, it only happened not too long ago," Rinoa said, "Right after you two left for Trabia."

Rinoa's eyes ran over Irvine and Selphie for a brief second.

"Well, I had to go back to my father for a short while," she explained, "And I had to tell him about me being a…"

She paused, and the rest looked at her understandingly.

"Oh, whatever," she sighed, "Why am I afraid of this, really? I mean…"

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a second, and opened them again.

"I'm a Sorceress," she breathed out, in a quick but calm tone, "I had to tell my father that, and he immediately placed the blame upon Squall, of course…"

"Figures," Irvine shrugged, "Since you chose to go with Squall on the mission and everything afterwards, and I don't think Caraway is gonna blame his own daughter."

"But my father wouldn't lie about this," Rinoa said, "He might hate Squall, but he won't keep Squall for torture like this, especially when we've come professionally to ask for him back."

"She got a point," Quistis agreed, "But what now? I thought Squall was really at Deling."

"He was," Rinoa said, "My father did say Squall ran off."

"Well, I'm glad," Zell said, "It seems he's still in good enough condition to be running around. I think we'll find him in no time if we keep searching."

"On the Ragnarok?" Selphie asked, her eyes glinted with excitement.

"Possibly," Quistis nodded.

"But what are we going to do when we find him, though?" Rinoa asked, concern etched in her tone.

"Yeah, good point," Selphie fingered her cheek, "I mean, we can't just apologize and tell him to go save the world again."

"Save the world?" Irvine asked, "It gets this serious?"

"Yes," Quistis said, looking at Irvine, "I'm sorry, I've told you everything except for the fact that Laera is no longer in the Infirmary."

"What?" Irvine asked, shocked, "Dead chick ran away?"

"Apparently so," Quistis said, "If she was dead in the first place. Knowing Ultimecia's spawn, she'll come back for her brother."

"Together, they're much more dangerous," Rinoa said, "Strength and Sorcery, that's not something to mess with."

"Hey, that sounds familiar," Selphie commented.

"Why not?" Quistis glanced at Rinoa, "It's Squall and Rinoa."

"Oh, yeah!" Selphie almost jumped up with the excitement of realization, "Squall is Strength and Rinoa is Sorcery! Oh, wow, together, you guys are like invincible, huh?"

Rinoa ignored the painful comment for a second, closing her eyes.

"But at the moment, LaeRana is pretty much helpless without her brother," Quistis spoke, interrupting the tense air.

"Why so?" Irvine asked, "Don't she have a mind of her own and really good power and strength?"

"Yeah, but remember, Ultimecia split into two, so they were meant to be together, when separated, they are no good," Quistis said, "One here and one there, they won't be complete, since they were one from their mother to begin with."

"I see," Irvine said.

"Rinoa, you OK?" Zell asked, touching her shoulder lightly.

"Y-Yeah," Rinoa opened her eyes, avoiding the looks the rest were giving her, "So…what are we going to tell him?"

"I…I don't know, really," Quistis said, her eyes bored into Rinoa with worry, "Most likely, something will have to start with her…"

"I know…" Rinoa nodded, "I owe him a big apology."

"So, in front of our eyes now, we have…" Selphie put a finger on her chin, "…We need to do these things. First, make sure LukEtan is not helped by his sister to escape or anything."

"Then…" Zell continued, "We must send some of us to look for Squall."

"Yeah, only some," Quistis agreed, "The rest of us must stay at Garden, to give commands and stuff, you know? To take control when something happens."

"Do you really think something will happen?" Rinoa asked.

"Honestly, I don't think things will be quiet for much longer," Quistis said, "LaeRana might be helpless by herself but she isn't completely a maiden in distress, either. She'll think of something, and we just got to be ready."

"You don't think…" Selphie started, her voice hesitant, "…Another war will break out again. Another war that is as terrible as what we went through before."

"No, not as terrible," Quistis solemnly, "Worse."

Selphie cried a soft protest in her throat and turned away, as if trying to absorb the information.

"Poor Selphie," Rinoa said, her voice level enough for anyone to hear, even Selphie, "She was just starting to enjoy a normal life as the little Princess in Trabia."

"Little Princess?" Quistis asked.

"Yeah," Irvine said, "This cute girl, everyone likes her back in Trabia, they were overjoyed when she came back to them. From that day, they've worked hard together to rebuild and remake Trabia again. They love her so much it seems she's the Princess that rules over the Garden or something. But she never really "rules" like a Princess of course. She's nice to everyone."

"Why do you think she'll strike Balamb first, though?" Zell asked.

"I didn't say that," Quistis said.

"Then why was it necessary for some of us to stay back at Balamb?" Zell asked, "Couldn't we go find Squall altogether?"

"Because…" Quistis said firmly, her eyes staring into Zell's, "Where would you rather be when you hear of an attack anywhere in the world?"

"Our SeeD base?" Zell answered.

"That's right," she nodded, "So even if Balamb won't be attacked directly, but some other part of the world would be, then would it be better if you were in a place where there'd be weapons and trainees ready to support you? Because most likely, you'll be called out to battle. That's what SeeDs are for."

"What about the ones that would be on the Ragnarok to look for Squall?" Rinoa asked.

"Then we'll have the Ragnarok's gunfire," Quistis said, "We can handle it. Besides, we have the power to move. The sky's the limit."

"So now all that's settled," Zell said, "Who's doing what?"

"I can't stay at Balamb, that's for sure," Quistis smiled sadly, "It's been quite long since I left. If I was to lead an attack party, it'd look like a joke since no one would listen to me."

"Nonsense," Rinoa said, "Did you see the look on those trainees' faces when your voice got firm on them?"

"Still…" Quistis said.

"Undoubtedly, Rinoa would want to be one of the people that will ride the sky to search for Squall, am I right?" Irvine said.

"No doubt…" Rinoa said softly.

"That's all right," Selphie said happily, "I'm sure they would be so happy to be reunited like that! For me, I can do anything, don't worry about me."

"How about Irvine take to the sky?" Zell suggested, "If there's any enemy going after the Ragnarok, from sky, you can shoot like no one's business, right, Irvine?"

"Very true," Irvine nodded, "But then it would mean I won't be with Selphie."

"Nonsense," Selphie shook her head, "Now's no time to worry about being together."

"So it's me, Selphie, and you in Balamb," Zell said Quistis.

"I guess, though I can't command as I used to," Quistis said.

"Don't worry, all you gotta do is narrow your eyes and use this tone with them," Selphie giggled, deepening her voice as she tried to imitate anger.

"So it's settled," Quistis nodded, "Rinoa, Irvine, good luck."

"Squall ran away, right?" Selphie asked, "Where would he most likely run?"

"I would say…" Rinoa fingered her chin, "I don't know…this might sound ridiculous, but I think…it's because me and Squall, we're so close, that…it seems, I could feel where he is…"

"Go on," Quistis said coolly.

"…Currently, it seems his heart is striving towards seeing us again," Rinoa said, moving her hand to her necklace and took a tight hold of the Griever ring, "…He has something very important to tell us."

"Think it has something to do with this war that would break out?" Selphie asked.

"Where is he heading?" Irvine asked.

"Somewhere far away," Rinoa said, "Very far away, isolated from the world in a lonely, rocky region…"

A heavy silence fell upon them suddenly, and then, just as quickly as it came, it evaporated. For a second, they all stared at one another.

"Esthar!" they all shouted in unison.

"President Laguna, Sir!"

Looking up from his work, Laguna was faced with a frantic looking soldier who was leaning on his knees to catch his breath.

"What's the problem?" Laguna asked.

"Sir, at the…front…gate…" the soldier heaved out, "…wants to…see you…"

"See me? Who?" he frowned, narrowing his eyes.

"…your…" the soldier stopped again to take in another long breath.

"Who?" Laguna couldn't stand the suspense anymore. He stood up and ran towards the front gate himself, leaving the soldier alone to catch his breath. It appeared he was not just breathless from running, but from shock from what he saw as well. What had he seen that made him so terrified?

Laguna ran past the Presidential Hallway, through the sliding door and out into teleporter room.

"Welcome, President Laguna," a woman's voice broadcasted through the speaker above his head.

"Take me to the front gate of the city," Laguna said quickly, giving the machine no time to greet him as it always does.

"Confirmed, please sit down and keep all your feet and hands away from the moving parts of the teleporter," the woman's voice replied, and soon a humming sound filled the air as the teleporter powered up. Laguna stepped on and carefully sat down.

The ride through the city was both relaxing and nerve racking as Laguna tried his best to take his mind away from the suspense and look down as the citizens of Esthar going about their business below him. The sky was blue and tranquil and somehow, it bothered him. It seemed to mock his insides as it churned with tension and anxiety. Who would it be that would greet him at the gate that had scared the soldier breathless?

The ride suddenly ended before Laguna was able to pull himself from his tangled thoughts. He sighed and began to stand up as the woman's voice instructed him to do so.

"Have a safe day, President Laguna," the machine said and the humming stopped as the teleporter's light faded away, indicating the power had been turned off.

Laguna walked forward towards the magnificent and enormous gate of Esthar City. On one side was an Esthar soldier who appeared to be slightly trembling. Laguna was about to question where the other soldier was because there was supposed to be two guarding the gate. But then it hit him, the other soldier must have been the one that ran back in a breathless state.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Laguna asked, walking closer to the soldier.

"I closed the gate on him, President," the soldier reported.

"On who?" Laguna frowned, but in his mind, he was already having a vague idea of who it was. Still, he hoped it was not and that he was wrong.

"The criminal that has ran away, Sir," the soldier said, "Haven't you heard? It is all over the news, he's dangerous…"

"Shut up!" Laguna cut off the soldier as jerked a thumb at the gate, ordering him to open it. The soldier looked hesitant and afraid as he moved to operate the gate. Partly, Laguna felt that he was at fault for not alerting the soldiers sooner and let them know that the so-called "criminal" was no threat. Now, it was too late for explanations. He had to open the gate first.

The large, heavy gate opened slowly but smoothly. Laguna had to hold his breath as the sunlight from outside cascaded in, blinding his vision for a second. Then, several shadows cast hauntingly across the ground. Squinting with a confused look, Laguna shielded his eyes to recognize that there were indeed, not one, but six shadows huddled together at the gate's front. Sighing with disappointment, Laguna looked almost defeated as he thought that there was no way these people could be who he thought it was, unless he was so baffled at the moment that he was seeing six when there was really only one.

Suddenly, but slowly, one of the six shadows stepped forward and Laguna nearly gasped as Squall Leonhart's face came into view. His eyes, though still burned with the same cold flames, looked almost lost and confused.

+

AN: Sorry for the looooooooooooong wait. I wanted to update for a long time though, really. But there were two problems. One, my internet was going crazy. It kept freezing for some reason. Two, drama. Yes, drama, drama, drama. I won't go into the details but you get what I'm saying.

So yeah, I'm sorry and I thank you, those of you who are still with me and not giving up on this story yet.

And don't call me dumb for not updating. I'm not one of those authors that nag for reviews and then set conditions, like "I need 10 before I go on". No, I don't do that. It sounds annoying when other authors do it and I don't want to sound that way.

So when updates seemed to stop for too long, just be content with knowing that I will come back after resolving my problems. I don't plan to quit on this, don't worry.


	23. Lunatic Pandora Reborn

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter 

Chapter 23

Lunatic Pandora Reborn

"So, you've been running around with these people here?"

Laguna shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he asked the question. It had been roughly a couple of minutes of silence among all of them since he had invited them in the guestroom. He wanted to catch up with Squall, and also, he did not want anyone listening in if they were to speak in the middle of the city. The guestroom was the safest bet since he did not want the strangers inside his office. He knew if Squall decided to let them tag along, they must be quite impressive to have earned his trust. However, as President, he could not take any risk, especially with Seifer around.

"Yeah…" he whispered, realizing something, "Speaking of which, why is Seifer with you?"

"Got a problem, old man?" Seifer laughed.

The room fell quiet again. The only sounds in the air were the nervous shifting of everyone who found their positions uncomfortable. Or maybe, they purposely moved to make any noise, any kind of noise at all.

Squall sighed, standing up from the armchair opposite of Laguna and strode on the carpet towards the wall behind his back. The guestroom's walls were almost bare except for a couple of windows, one next to the door, and one on the opposite side of it. Squall chose the window on the opposite wall and opened it forcefully. Air rushed in, along with the sounds of people going back and forth about their businesses below.

"Relieve tension, eh?" Laine laughed, shifting again on his position on the floor.

Squall turned back, his eyes darted about the room once. Since there were only two armchairs in the guestroom and a small table in the middle with a vase of flowers on it, there were not enough seats for everyone. Around the room, a few of them were just scattered along the floor, leaning on the wall or just standing stiffly, like the way Chriselle was standing. Raijin and Fujin were standing against the wall on the opposite side of Laine.

"Oh, well," Laguna shook his head, "Let's start first by telling me why you're running around first."

"I was convicted as a criminal," Squall answered flatly and quickly, "The evidence are all against me."

"You _do_ realize that the evidence were all fake?" Laguna countered.

"Yes, I did," Squall sighed, "But…"

"Hey, think your comrades back in Balamb must have realized that by now?" Laine asked.

"I don't know," Squall said, "So that's why it's not completely safe to return yet. That's why I've come to you, President Laguna."

"I see…" Laguna frowned at the formal name.

"So, who should start this story?" Laine asked cheerfully.

"That still don't explain why Seifer is with you?" Laguna said, "I thought he disappeared and died somewhere."

"Not that easy, old man," Seifer scoffed.

"There are two enemies," Chriselle said impatiently.

"Come again?" Laguna frowned, turning his attention to Chriselle.

"There are two enemies," Squall repeated, "If you're about to ask how strong they are, I would say just expect another great war far greater than the 2nd Sorceress War that had just passed."

"A war?" Laguna almost shouted, "Nonsense. Peace has settled in at last, right? It couldn't be taken away that fast?"

"Wake up, old man," Seifer said.

"But still," Laguna said, "Who is to declare this so-called war? You might be my son and all, but…you're only a kid. I can't…go around warning everyone around war 'cuz my son told me so."

"Son…?" Laine asked.

"We got evidence," Squall said, quickly, suppressing any possible question about their father and son relationship.

"Not quite," Laine jumped in, "Just really strong beliefs."

"Beliefs, eh?" Laguna said, leaning back in his armchair, "Oh, well, let's hear them anyways."

"You see, the one that was supposed to be the real criminal was a Sorcerer," Laine said, "He was the one that imposed Squall and…you know."

"He killed a young trainee, right?" Laguna asked.

"Yeah, but…" Laine scratched his head, "Nobody died really. It was all an act put together by him and his sister."

"Sister?" Laguna almost laughed, "So the criminal got an accomplice. Is that gonna start the so-called war?"

"No, they're not humans," Chriselle said, "They're pawns, born from Ultimecia."

"What?" Laguna nearly stood up.

"That's right," Chriselle said, "After the final strike, nobody realized what actually happened with Ultimecia's remains for everybody was too busy celebrating."

"Ultimecia's soul split in two," Laine said, "Creating these two pawns we see today, known as LukEtan and LaeRana, or for short, we can refer to them as Etan and Rana."

"Etan and Rana," Laguna muttered.

"That's right," Laine nodded, "Looks like they wanted to get rid of Squall first by sending him on the run by himself like this."

"Why? Squall can defend himself, right?" Laguna asked.

"Not as a criminal," Laine said, "Think about it. Every town and city will neglect him and not want anything to do with him. A long time of wandering around without food and water will gotta do something to him."

"Besides, he's injured already," Seifer said.

"What?" Laguna frowned, "Nobody told me this."

"Nothing big," Squall shook his head, "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, right," Seifer scoffed, "Rayna didn't say so."

"Rayna?" Laguna asked, "Who's this now?"

"A doctor, you don't know her, don't worry," Squall said.

"A doctor…" Laguna mumbled.

"I said don't worry about it," Squall grounded out his voice, his gaze turning away.

"Anyways," Laguna sighed, turning back on the previous subject, "So you've come back to me to inform me of the 3rd terrible war, correct?"

"Something like it," Squall said, "More than that, we also need your help and Esthar's technologies."

"How do you know these pawns will really strike?" Laguna asked.

"Trust us," Laine said seriously, "We know they're born from Ultimecia, and we know of their intention hundreds of years back."

"Right now, perhaps nobody else knows of their plan but us," Chriselle said, "We don't even know if they're running free or if they're in one place right now."

"Hundreds of years back?" Laguna fingered his chin, "Who are you really running around with, Squall?"

"None of your business," Squall said, turning towards the door, "As long as they can help us."

"Seifer, too?" Laguna asked, confused.

"Hey, I gotta do something to gain back my good name," Seifer smirked, "Looks like so far I don't have to do anything except running around with these people."

"Anything else?" Laguna sighed, ignoring Seifer and turning back to Squall, "You look like you're about to leave. That's quite sudden for somebody who just told a President that the world is going to be destroyed."

"I am about to leave," Squall said simply, "And that's it. There's nothing more to discuss for now. There might be more, however, if we get the chance to connect with Balamb and work together with them."

"That is…" Laine commented, "If you're OK with letting Balamb know you're working with a criminal, President."

"I don't care," Laguna shot back quickly, "They shoulda know the evidence were all fake, anyways. Or else, I'm gonna contact them anyways, and let them know. Besides, if you guys are right about this war thing, I don't think Balamb is gonna choose to worry over a one criminal instead of the whole world."

"Nice speech, President," Seifer clapped nonchalantly.

"Come on, let's all leave," Laine suggested, walking towards the door, "There's nothing more to do here, or discuss."

"Where are we gonna go?" Chriselle asked.

"Anywhere, I hope," Laine looked at Laguna to catch on to any disapproval. When he found none, he turned to his sister again, "Let's go around, checking out their technologies."

"All right," Chriselle nodded, following her brother out the door.

"You guys," Seifer said to Raijin and Fujin, "How about we check out what they have at the weapon shops around here."

"Yeah," Raijin agreed, "Gotta be armed and ready when the time comes."

Soon, the room was empty, draped with a heavy silence between a father and a son that were left behind.

"Aren't you gonna go, too, Squall?" Laguna said, "I am a busy person, you know. I gotta go back to my office and contact the man in charge of the weapon lab, and see what he can…"

"But…President…" Squall interrupted suddenly, his eyes still not removing from the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"H-How did you know the evidence were all fake?" he asked.

"You really wanna know?" Laguna said.

"I'm asking, am I?"

"Well…in the video clip they showed me…" Laguna said nervously, "You called me…"

"On second thought, don't answer," Squall said suddenly, his hand moved to the doorknob, "I don't wanna know."

Laguna nodded understandingly, trying hard to mask his shocked insides. He had a terrible feeling that the contents of his stomach will jump out and dance around. He waved a hand nonchalantly, letting Squall know he could go on ahead. Squall, without looking back, opened the door.

Suddenly, a terrible, agonizing sound of glass shattering exploded in the air. Turning around swiftly, Squall's eyes laid on the broken hinges of the windows that he had just opened earlier. Cursing, he ran over to it.

"Someone shot them down!" Laguna shouted, running to stand next to Squall and looked down below, making sure nobody was hurt.

"No, duh!" Squall squinted in the distance. Through the empty, clear air, a large, looming shadow was floating in the sky. Slowly, though, it descended upon the city, stopping just about a dozen meters above the tall buildings.

"What…" Laguna started.

"No…" Squall muttered under his breath, "It couldn't be…"

"What couldn't be?" Laguna asked, confused, "You've seen this before…"

"Look again, President," Squall said coldly.

"Sir!" a soldier from behind interrupted them. He panted slightly, as if he had been running the entire way to report to the President.

"What do you have to report?" Laguna turned around.

"We're afraid that…" the soldier began nervously, "It's the thing…the thing from back then, President."

"Back then…" Laguna turned back to look at the still approaching shadow. As it got closer, he began to recognize the rectangular corners…

"Damn them," Squall said, "It couldn't. We struck it down."

"I-I see now," Laguna said, his hands gripping the windowsill tightly, "It's the…"

"Yeah, it is," Squall nodded, staring forward without fear, "It's the Lunatic Pandora…"

"H-How?" Laguna asked, "You guys struck it down before…"

"I'd like to know that, also," Squall said, "I'd like to know that, President Laguna."

Author's Note: Hey, everyone, sorry for the long wait. I know excuses don't make up for the lack of update but really, my life has been going on a sick twist these last weeks/months. But I know it's been long enough and I better get on my lazy ass and get the next chapter up. I hope I hadn't bored anyone to death yet with my laziness.

And Merry Christmas, everybody!

(kinda early, still…but…)


	24. The Demand

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter Chapter 24 The Demand 

"Get all the firing squad ready! Get the sharpshooting squad to the highest floor of this building! Send a message to the citizens to take shelter!"

Laguna's voice boomed through the speaker, shouting commands of many types. However, none of them made any sense to Squall as he still stood with his hands gripping the windowsill. His eyes had not left the slowly approaching demon of the sky that was known as the Lunatic Pandora.

"There's something different about it," a voice spoke suddenly next to him.

"What?" Squall blinked, and turned quickly to the source of voice.

Ellone was standing by his side with her hands clasped at her waist, her eyes had also became as distant as his as she stared forward. He shook his head, almost wanting to ask when she got here, but refrained himself.

"What?" he repeated urgently, almost resorting to shaking her shoulder.

"Remember when the Lunatic Pandora was housed by Adel?" Ellone said, turning her eyes over to him.

"Of course," he whispered, turning away from her. How could he forget? How could he forget the terrifying moments of his life when Rinoa was junctioned along with the wicked Sorceress that was supposedly vanquished long ago.

"Well," Ellone continued, "An aura of magic will surround the Pandora when a Sorceress takes control of it. Besides Sorceresses, only I can "see" these auras."

"Well," Squall asked expectantly, "Do you see any auras here?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Exactly my point. Something's different. This aura is…"

"Stronger?" he hinted.

"No," she shook her head, "I don't know. It's hard to say. But it's definitely familiar. Needless to say, I had this same feeling when I sent Rinoa's mind into the mind of Ultemica in the past."

"No surprise," he muttered, his hand gripping harder on the windowsill.

"Y-You knew," she asked, surprised.

"Knew?" he scoffed, "They're the reason I'm on the run."

"They?" she said, "So there are two."

"Yes," he said, "Does that help any?"

"It makes a bit more sense," she nodded, "Because this aura I'm feeling, it's not a stand-alone. It's like…it's being powered by one, and supported by another. There's two different feels of power within this strange aura…"

"I see," he muttered, releasing the windowsill quickly.

"Squall!" Lagune busted in suddenly, "Are you going to do something?"

"Where are all the people that came with me?" Squall turned around and asked.

"They're on their way, I hope," Laguna said, "I sent all my messengers to fetch them."

No sooner than the last word left his mouth, Chriselle and Laine dashed into the room so quick it almost appeared they flew on air. Laine panted and Chriselle leaned on the doorframe quickly. Squall immediately walked over to them. A second later, Seifer rocketed in, wiping a trail of sweat off his forehead.

"What now?" he asked, "I hope this is worth me jumping down from my transporter in the middle of a tour and sending Raijin and Fujin off to calm the citizens."

Pausing, he looked at Chriselle, who was just finished catching her breath.

"Hey, chick," he said, "I thought you're immortal."

"Doesn't mean I don't have lungs," she replied simply, then looked over to Squall, "Orders, Master?"

"W-What?" Squall asked, taken aback, "You guys came here for my orders?"

"What did you expect?" Laine asked, "The reason we've searched for you is because you can lead us in battle. And now this seems like what we've expected will come."

"Wait," Squall said, "You knew."

"Etan and Rana had taken control of the Lunatic Pandora," Chriselle said, "Isn't that right?"

"H-How…?" Squall began.

"I could just feel it," she replied curtly.

"Oh, that thing," Laine said, approaching the window with something close to fascination written on his face, "That thing. Yes, it's been long…though not too long…"

"Yes," Seifer nodded, turning away as if refusing to look at the Pandora, "Not long enough for all our lust for fighting to die down."

"Well, _some_ of us, anyway," Squall muttered.

"Orders, sir?" Chriselle said, her brows began to knit together.

"It's coming closer," Laine said, turning around with a panicked look in his eyes.

"Let me call the initiative for attack," Lagune suggested.

"Wait," Squall said, his hand grasping Laguna's shoulder, "They want something right now, and it's not blood."

"W-What?" Laguna stopped and followed Squall's gaze towards the Pandora which had stopped moving.

"Looks like they wanna chat," Laine said, folding his arms and looking ahead amusedly.

"Yeah," Squall muttered mutely as the large, floating tower began to shake gently. Then, a small opening slid itself wide apart. However, it didn't look to be inviting anyone in. Rather, it was for delivering out the ones that were inside.

Suddenly, the sky began to grow dimmer, and then plunged into darkness in a blink of an eye. It was so abrupt that it felt as if someone had played the cruel joke of draping a dark blanket over the world. Then, in contrast to the sudden darkness, a brilliantly glowing light emitted from the small opening in the Pandora. The patch of light grew, stabbing into the night and piercing through the window to Laguna's guest room.

"Look!"

If Ellone's voice had not been so desperate and urgent, Squall would have continued to shield the unnatural light away with his arm like the rest of them. Forcing the urge to let his eyelids shut, he strained to look forward into the piercing light. A lone, thin figure was moving, as if it was approaching towards him. Chriselle's voice soon confirmed this.

"Master Leonhart, be careful!" she shouted, "I can feel a presence coming."

"Me, too!" he replied, in the same loud tone.

He chuckled slightly, finding it funny. The air was deafeningly still, and only the strange light was piecing their eyes, yet they felt the need to scream to each other to make the messages comprehensible.

"Be careful," Chriselle lowered her voice, "This one here does not have magic, but something else…just as dangerous…"

"Don't worry," Squall said absently.

Slowly, the light flickered and died down. And before everyone could recompose or adjust themselves, the blanket of shadows was snatched away quickly. Natural sunlight blinded the room again, and once more, they fell into the need to groan out with surprise and frustration.

"Come, Lion's Child," a soft voice filled the air, and for a second, to Squall's ears, it almost sounded soothing.

"What?" Seifer asked.

"Come," the voice spoke again, becoming more urgent.

Then, as if guided by an irresistible need, Squall's feet began to move forward, towards the window. Ellone gasped slightly as he climbed on the ledge and stood up, his head stretched ahead and his arms holding onto the windowpanes.

"Don't be afraid," the voice called again, hinted with a tone of seduction this time.

Squall stared forward, into the spot he thought where the dark figure's eyes should be. Doubt flickered across his eyes for a second, but instantly, he nodded as if understanding. Then, he took a step forward, into the empty air that won't hesitate to welcome him to the grand fall from a five-story building.

"NO!" the five behind his back shouted at the same time, the same equal tone of shock in their voices. However, they all were equally helpless as they watch, waiting for his death scream from five stories below.

Once more, utter astonishment struck them as Squall continued to stand in midair without moving, or falling. He began to walk, and his feet seemed to tap on something solid beneath. It was as if there was an invisible platform that stretched from the window to the small opening in the Lunatic Pandora. Everyone watched on as Squall stopped walking, assuming that he was now at least a satisfied distance from the shadowy figure.

"What do you suppose they are speaking of?" Laine asked, turning towards his sister.

"I don't know," Chriselle shook her head, "The magic barrier is still on."

"I see," Laine nodded, his eyes turning back to Squall.

"Hell," Seifer said, "I'm gonna…"

Quickly, he strode towards the window and grabbed tightly onto the ledges with both of his hands.

"Seifer!" Laine shouted, "What in hell…?"

"I'm gonna follow him," Seifer said.

"Shut up and listen," Laine said firmly, walking over to him and prying his hands off the ledges.

"What the hell?" Seifer said, irritated.

"Touch the air before you," Laine said.

Seifer kept the look of annoyance, but nonetheless, leaned out the window and tried to touch the air before him. His fingers began to trace and bend, desperately hoping to meet with the smooth surface that Squall had walked on. However, when his hand felt nothing but air, he tried to lean out further. His face exploded in shock and fear. What sort of wizardry or sorcery is this?

"See?" he heard Laine whisper behind him.

Frustrated, he lifted his head to look at Squall's back again. By now, Squall had already begun to turn around and it was looking as if he was not interested in what the other side had to sell. Seifer back off a little, and the five of them looked with their breaths held as Squall strode slowly and calmly towards the window again.

"Well?" Laguna was the first to speak as Squall hoisted himself down from the windowsill.

"Are you OK?" Ellone, instead of merely speaking, was the first to rush to him to check him over for any injuries. When finding none, she stepped back slowly and let him speak to his comrades.

"It ain't pretty," Squall muttered, turning his head slightly to look at the Pandora one last time. The small opening was long gone, and the large tower was beginning to ebb away from the city.

"What now?" Seifer asked, "It's leaving?"

"Yes," Squall nodded, "Unsuccessful deal."

"What deal?" Laine asked, "Tell us everything. We need to know. We need to know these things, Master Leonhart, if we are to cooperate together."

"What?" Squall asked incredulously, "You guys didn't hear anything?"

"No," Chriselle answered indifferently, "We don't even know what they said in the first place to make you go over there with them."

"What?" he asked, "But the voice was so clear!"

"We heard," Laine explained, "But we didn't understand."

"A spell was at work," Chriselle nodded, "It was cast specifically that only you can understand what they said."

"So all that time…" Squall said, "Only I heard everything."

"Yes," Chriselle said, "And we expect to hear everything _from _you."

"That thing that you walked on," Seifer added, "It was weird as hell, too. Only you could walk on that."

"Yeah," Laine sniggered, "Your friend here almost fell and cracked his skull open."

"I did not even jump over!" Seifer protested.

"Is that so?" Squall asked, rubbing his chin in surprise.

"Apparently, you're still important to them, even alive," Laine commented.

"Not quite," Squall said, "OK, I'll tell you guys everything."

"Yes, Master," Chriselle agreed, "If we are going to support you in this goal, we must know of everything."

"OK," Squall nodded in the same agreeing manner, "But before that…Chriselle…"

"Yes, Master," she said, her eyes turned to glue on him immediately.

"Think you can drop the word 'Master' for me?" he asked, smiling, "I mean, I feel old enough with people in Garden calling me 'Commander'."

"Yes, M…" she began, then turned away, "Sorry…sir…"

"I guess that'll do," he chuckled, "But…"

He paused, thinking.

"I guess once in awhile is OK," he said, "Since I won't be hearing 'Commander' anymore because Garden had chased me out. I'll be missing that."

"I can call you 'Commander' if you like," Chriselle offered.

"I don't think that's very important here," he laughed, waving off the comment, "But I do thank you. Come on, sit down, all of you. I'll tell you all everything."

Almost obediently, the five in the room gathered around, either sitting on the armchairs, leaning against the armrests, or huddling on the floor. Nonetheless, all of them held undivided attention upon the one who was to lead them into battle, Commander Leonhart of Balamb Garden.

"OK, here's what they had the guts to ask of us…" Squall began.

AN: Hey, everyone. Sorry, sorry, sorry! I've not been updating not because of reviews or anything like this, I guarantee you. I know I've given this reason before and before and before, but I'm telling the truth, my life has been a show of tearful drama and still is. It's like a cruel joke someone above is playing on me, though I don't believe in anything like it. Problems are just so overwhelming I just can't swallow them all down at once and they kept choking back.

Anyways, I shouldn't rant on about my problems. Just letting you know that I'll still update when I can and I'm not just ditching my readers to go look at the cracks in my wall or anything like that. Writing has been and always is my passion. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	25. Unwanted Alliance

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, or any of the characters…that's it.

The Imposter Chapter 25

Unwanted Alliance

"So what did they ask you?"

Squall sighed lightly and looked about the room once more.

"They asked for alliance,"

"Alliance?" Seifer scoffed in disbelief, "Are they crazy?"

"Yeah," Laine agreed, "Obviously, you're gonna say no."

"No," Squall shook his head, "There's a catch."

"What?" Chriselle said, "Your life. How quaint."

"No, no," Squall almost smiled, "Not just my life."

"What?" Seifer asked incredulously, "They threaten all of us as well?"

"Yeah," Squall said, "I'm kinda worried, actually. They asked…they asked if I joined with them, then the safety of all the people I know will be guaranteed."

"You know us," Raijin said, "We can take care of ourselves."

"No, not just you guys," Squall said quietly, "ALL the people I know, which means…"

"The instructor, the petite girl…" Seifer began, "Chickenwuss, the sniper, the Headmaster and his wife…and…"

Silence suddenly fell, and Seifer sucked in a breath as if he was afraid to say whatever comes next.

"His wife?" Laine asked innocently.

"Oh, no," Laguna laughed, "I don't think my son would marry without my consent first."

"Frankly, I would," Squall cut in, "You haven't been…"

"OK," Seifer cut in, "You two can have your lovely conversation at another time."

"This is more important, Commander," Chriselle said calmly.

"Yes…" Squall muttered.

"Rinoa," Fujin suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Just as unexpectedly as her comment, everybody's head turned her way.

"I said," Fujin maintained her stiff pose, "Rinoa."

"Caraway's daughter," Laguna muttered, "She looks just like Julia."

"Come again?" Laine asked.

"Nothing," Laguna waved his hand, "Nothing that concerns this. Continue, Squall."

"Yes, well," Squall began again, "Rinoa…"

"Say," Seifer said, "Whatever happened? I mean, the murder, tell us everything…"

"How it happened?" Fujin said bluntly.

Squall turned silent suddenly, his eyes downcast.

"Leonhart," Seifer urged.

When Squall made no move to answer, Chriselle stood up and walked over to his side. She opened her mouth to begin saying something in his defense.

"He doesn't have to," a different voice spoke in her place.

She looked up at Laguna.

"Squall might not know a lot about me," Laguna stood up, "It's been seventeen years…But I, I know him, and I KNOW he would never do something like that. So he doesn't have to explain himself, because it never happened."

For a long while, nobody spoke. Chriselle proceeded to putting a hand on Squall's back and stroking it gently, as if trying to comfort him.

"Chriselle…" Laine began to notice.

"What?" she stared up at him with blank, white eyes.

"Your chick…" Seifer started.

"No emotions?" Raijin laughed, "I think she's showing some love right now."

"What?" Chriselle still harbored the same confused look.

"That's enough," Squall stood up suddenly, "Thank you, Chriselle."

"Chriselle?" Laine asked again.

"What?" she shrugged, "I still remember…you used to do that to me when we were little. It's what people who care do for each other, right? So I thought it'd be proper if I do the same thing."

"Did you feel anything?" Laine asked, his hope deflating.

"Feel?" she shook her head, "Don't make fun of me, brother. You know I can't anymore."

"So…" Seifer interrupted, "Chick here was only doing it 'cuz she thought it was a rule or something."

"Isn't it what people supposed to do?" she asked, "Or was it wrong?"

"No, no," Laine quickly said, "It was…really sweet."

"Sweet?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head, "Forget..."

"So what now?" Seifer let out a sigh, turning towards Squall.

"They threatened all of you guys," Squall said calmly, folding his arms, "All of the people I know."

"We got that part," Seifer raised an eyebrow, "And Rinoa is top of your worry list, right?"

"And about what we heard," Raijin cut in, "About the setup…"

Again, Squall sucked in another breath and silence enveloped them once more.

"It's OK…" Laguna began.

"No, it's not," Squall slid down the wall he was leaning on, "It's all a setup. And now I'm a murdered in everyone's eyes."

"Not everyone's," Laguna said, "There's gotta be someone who believes you."

"Yeah, Laine and Chriselle," he replied tonelessly, "They're the only ones because they're the ones who told me it was a setup in the first place."

"We knew, too, we ain't dumb," Seifer said, "Even if we are runaways, we still hear of news here and there. Gotta admit I'm quite shocked when I heard the Commander of Balamb murdered someone. But of course…"

"I didn't do it!" Squall shouted, "And I'm no Commander."

"Ain't gonna help if you whine about it!" Seifer countered, "Besides, I was just gonna say of course, I knew you didn't do it."

"Leave Master Leonhart alone!" Chriselle jumped in front of Squall.

"I'm not a Master, either," Squall brushed her away.

"Commander," Laine joined in, "If you won't let us help you…"

"Help?" Seifer scoffed, "The only time I'll see he ask for help…"

"That's enough, Seifer," Squall glared at him.

"What are you gonna do?" Seifer backstepped, "Sick your chick on me."

"This man keeps calling me 'chick'," Chriselle turned to Laine.

"Don't worry about it," Laine waved her away.

"He's just being a crybaby just because no one believes him," Seifer said.

"I didn't kill anybody!" Squall shouted one last time and headed for the door.

"Slow down!" Laguna jumped in, "Calm down! All of you."

At first, everyone stared at him awkwardly as if he was in no position to give orders. But slowly, they lowered their heads or turned their eyes elsewhere, as if pretending they never had anything to do with the conversation that went out of control. Squall sighed and stepped back from the doorway.

"Silly," Fujin mumbled.

"What?" Seifer started.

"Calm down!" Laguna began again, "The girl's right. This is silly. Let Squall talk."

"Well?" Laine raised an eyebrow, indicating for Squall to begin.

"Well…" Squall licked his lips, then looked at the floor, "As you all knew, there was a fake videotape…recording everything at the murder scene."

"You were in it," Laguna nodded, understanding, "And it was…"

"You've go to believe me," Squall began, his tone desperate, "I…"

"We know," Laguna stopped him, "You didn't do it. We do believe you."

"Well…" Squall continued, "Anymore you want to know about these pawns of Ultimecia, Laine and Chriselle can tell me."

"Laine and Chriselle," Laguna pondered, as if taking note of the names for the first time, "So these are their names."

He paused, then reached out a hand.

"My apologies," he said, looking at Laine, "I never properly introduced me or asked for your names."

"Oh…" Laine stepped forward and shook hands with him awkwardly, "No need to be all formal with us."

"I remember someone mention something about hundreds of years ago…" Laguna began, "Care to elaborate."

"They died," Squall said bluntly.

"Eh?" Seifer asked.

"Geez…" Laine scratched his head, "Yeah, that's to be just simple and straightforward. But to elaborate…Let's see, I bet none of you have forgotten Ultimecia."

As if the name carries a curse, a sudden, suffocating silence fell upon the room.

"Well," Laine went on, "She existed 200 years back, also."

"Our Kingdom," Chriselle nodded.

"She wiped it out, you see," Laine said, his eyes downcast, "But we were the only ones left."

"How so?" Seifer asked.

"We made…kind of a deal, you know," Laine scratched his head, "With one of the most powerful Guardians, the Phoenix…"

"Guardians?" Seifer turned to Squall, "Didn't you have one yourself? Griever, wasn't he?"

"He hadn't spoken to me in awhile," Squall shook his head, "He hadn't entered my mind yet."

"Griever can't be controlled, ya?" Raijin said, "How strange. I thought we as the summoner gets to junction them whenever we want."

"Griever listens to no one," Squall explained simply, "In fact…I don't think Griever's presence with me is to help me, but for me to enhance his strength and abilities."

"So you are under Griever's…" Seifer said.

"No," Squall cut him off, "I'm under no one's control, either."

"Well, whatever," Raijin said, "Go on."

"So of course all evidence was against me," Squall went on, "And I was forced on the run."

"And that's how you met up with these two?" Laguna asked.

Squall nodded, deciding to leave off the part about the prison. He did not want Laguna to begin his father fuss again.

"I've been meaning to ask," Laguna began, "You do look a pit paler…"

"It's nothing," Squall waved it off immediately, "It's nothing."

"But…"

"It's nothing," he said firmly, then shook his head.

"All right," Laguna shrugged.

"So now you've decided to come here," Seifer asked, "To ask Daddy for help, is that it?"

"Shut up, Seifer," Squall glared.

"It's true," Laine said, then turned to Laguna, "Mr. President, we've come here to seek alliance with you."

"Oh, no," Laguna said.

"You refuse?" Squall asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"No, no," Laguna said quickly, "I was…I was just thinking of something I've been afraid of since you started your story."

"Afraid?" Fujin said.

"The Third War," Squall said, and Laguna nodded in confirmation.

"So it's true," Seifer said, smiling, "There'll be action again, then. Good, I was itching from just running around for so long without anything to do."

"This is serious," Laine said, "You have no idea."

"But we are a strong force, right?" Squall turned to Laine, "With the President's alliance, we can stand a chance, right? And your abilities…"

"Abilities?" Seifer asked, "They don't look like they can do anything."

"Oh, is that so?" Laine laughed, "Sorry, didn't introduce ourselves properly."

"Don't need to," Seifer scoffed, "I can just tell you're just some wanderers."

"Wait, Seifer," Raijin said, "Didn't they say something about 200 years ago…and the Phoenix?"

"Oh, yeah," Laine said, "We never finished."

"The Phoenix," Chriselle said, "The Phoenix gave us life, through the souls of two Element Masters."

"Earth," Laine folded his arms proudly, and the floor beneath them shook lightly.

Laguna gasped and jumped back as if he was afraid a hole might crack from under him.

"Relax," Squall muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Air…" Chriselle whispered, and the room atmosphere suddenly dropped.

Everyone except the two siblings and Squall panicked slightly. Seifer pulled his coat tighter over his chest. Then just as quickly as it came, the air settled down to a welcoming warmth again.

"Geez," Seifer rubbed his arm, "Who are you peo…Never mind, WHAT are you people?"

"Dead souls," Laine said casually, "Brought back through the powers of the Earth Master and the Air Master."

"Two of the Seven Element Masters," Laguna observed.

"Excuse me," Squall said.

"Yes, there are seven," Laine said.

"How did you know, President Laguna?" Squall asked.

"I read a lot in my days," Laguna grinned, "Writing and reading are always my passion. To write, first you gotta read."

"Whatever," Squall muttered.

"So you 200-year-old people are here…" Seifer began, "For what purpose?"

"We're tracking down Ultimecia," Laine said, "And Chris here is thirsty for revenge."

"The Phoenix," Raijin commented, "And didn't we say that Squall has Griever? I mean, with Phoenix and Griever on our side, how can we lose?"

"Phoenix?" Laine said, "It hasn't entered our minds since…We supposed it has given its all in the pact-making."

"The pact," Laguna repeated.

"The pact that Chris here lost her emotions," Laine said sadly.

"Anyways," Seifer said, purposely interrupting the oncoming sad conversation, "A Phoenix can rise from its ashes, didn't you know that? It can always have a rebirth."

"You can summon it again sometime," Raijin suggested, "Give it a try."

"I should," Laine said, "Man, you guys know more than we do, it seems. I guess our 200-year-old civilization needs a lot more knowledge."

"The Third War," Laguna said suddenly, "We're gonna face off against Ultimecia again?"

"No, not quite" Laine said.

"Because you said…" Laguna questioned, confused, "You said so yourself these two pawns are from Ultimecia herself."

"That's just it," Laine laughed, "She split into two, and much more powerful."

"Huh?"

"It's true," Laine said, "She is a despicable witch with too much power harbored inside of her. But in one body, the powers were too suppressed to grow. But when she split in two, each source of power gets its own body to strengthen…"

"Strength and magic," Chriselle added.

"I see," Laguna nodded.

"This is not good," Laguna said, "So the Third War will really begin, eh?"

"What do we do?" Raijin asked.

"I have to make sure everybody's safe," Squall said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I can't protect everybody at the same time, and they know it, especially since I'm separated from everyone at Balamb. That's why…that's why they lured me to join their side, to guarantee everybody's safety."

"It's all in their plan," Laine said, "Since the setup to get you to be a criminal. And now without you to protect them, Balamb is gone."

"I can't let them!" Squall said, balling his hand into a fist and slammed it into the wall, "Dammit, we gotta do something quick."

"You have my alliance, son," Laguna said firmly.

"Good," Squall said curtly, as if he had expected the cooperation.

"Now what do we do?" Laine asked.

"We gotta split," Squall said, eyeing Laine sternly, as if he was about to give an order.

"Yes, Master," Laine said, "Oh, sorry, Commander."

"How should we split?" Seifer asked.

"You, Seifer and your posse, Raijin and Fujin," Squall turned to look at them, "I want you to go around, since that's what you've been doing mostly."

"Go around where?" Raijin asked.

"Anywhere," Squall said, "Warn anybody of any nearby villages or towns. Warn them of the next war…"

"Like anybody will believe us," Seifer said.

Squall gave a sigh.

"But we'll do it," Seifer continued, "Then we can look back and laugh and say that 'we told you so'."

"Seifer!" Fujin warned.

"All right, all right," Seifer said, proceeding towards the door, "Let's go, let's go."

"President Laguna," Squall said, his voice calm and firm, "I want you to prepare your troops. Tell them to be ready for anything."

"Sure thing," Laguna nodded.

"What about us?" Chriselle asked.

"You, me," Squall looked at Laine, then at Chriselle, "And you, too, Chriselle, we're going back…"

"Back?" Laguna frowned, "You can't mean…"

"Yes, I do," Squall said, "We have to check on Balamb. Criminal or not, I still have to make sure my home's still safe. Or at least, alert them."

Without another word, Squall turned towards the door and walked off. The three remaining stood among each other, at a loss of what to say.

"Laine…" Chriselle began.

"Hmm?"

"He said home, didn't he?" she asked.

"Yes, Chris, he did,"

"Strange…I thought it was a Training Facility for Mercenaries,"

"Well…"

"Our home was nothing like that, this world's strange, isn't it?"

Laine sighed, then shook his head.

"Yes, Chriselle, yes, it is…"

Author's Note: Whew! Been waaaaaaaaaaay too long. I'm sorry because all I could say is I'm sorry. I've just gotten back up on my feet again after a big crisis. So…I don't wanna waste anyone's time by listening to my long story, so just enjoy the chapter now.


	26. The Courage to Return

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII .. Just a fan

center The Imposter /center 

center Chapter 26 /center 

center The Courage to Return /center 

Rinoa Heartilly thought she was delusional.

She must be losing it, what with all the worry and chaos that have been going on lately.

Because she swore that the man who has just walked into Garden just now looked exactly like Squall.

If she does not want to say that it I really /I is Squall.

"I need to take those sleeping pills," she muttered to herself and turned around to walk off.

"Rinoa!" a voice called, oddly familiar it was, but it did not belong to him.

She heaved a sigh of relief, for after all, at least her ears weren't failing her. She whirled around to come face to face with Seifer, who has ran breathlessly from the front entrance of Garden to her.

"Seifer?" she asked, frowning, "Who let you in?"

"Eh, we did," he smirked, gesturing to the handful of people that began to walk up towards them as well.

Rinoa frowned harder, studying each of them hard, a few familiar faces, yet some are oddly unrecognizable. Where did they come from and why are they here?

"Fujin and Raijin, too?" she murmured.

Her eyes suddenly locked with a pair of pale, white orbs. She blinked once in a sudden attempt to release the lock, to no avail. For a prolonged second, she drowned. She drowned in an overflowing ocean of emotions, love, hate, vengeance, and agony. Then all at once, every ounce of feeling within her was violently torn from her, as if someone has taken a knife and dug up her insides like treasure-hunting. The sudden emptiness slapped her hard in the face, rendered her confused and breathless.

What was going on? She was not supposed to feel this way. Was this some sort of evil spell? If so, she was a Sorceress, she has to be able to break through.

Then abruptly, the agony ended as an unexpected source of warmth snuck its way into the cold ocean within her. Someone's dearing presence was near.

She released herself from the lock easily and turned towards the warmth.

She was gazing eye to eye with no other than Squall Leonhart.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

Staring at her was the man with an unspeakable bounty on his life for the crime of murder.

No, staring at her was the man she loved. Love?

"Rinoa?" another voice called.

She shook her head to clear the confusion and turned to see a black-haired man looking worriedly at her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"President Laguna," she said, unable to hide her surprise, "You…"

"Yes, me," he grinned, "Don't be so formal, please, show us to Master Cid."

"That is what we are here for," Seifer nodded, "We are not here for trouble, eh…this time."

He smirked.

"Please, Rinoa," Squall spoke for the first time, his voice strained and tired, "We must see the Headmaster."

"Why do you need me, then?" she eyed everyone suspiciously, careful not to land on the mysterious girl's gaze again.

"We are runaways from Garden," Seifer said, then gestured to a few of them, "And these are strangers. Surely we'll cause suspicion if all of us barged in to the third floor all at once."

"Please," Laguna said calmly, "Walk with us."

"This is stupid," the red-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"Rayna," Seifer shook his head, "Not now."

The girl called Rayna rolled her eyes again and folded her arms.

"All right," Rinoa sighed, "Follow me."

She turned without looking back at Squall one more time and began to walk off towards the elevator. The group followed after her quickly. As they tread on, eyes began to dart curiously in their directions.

"DRAWING ATTENTION," Fujin pointed out.

"Yes," Laguna agreed.

Nearly everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they reached the elevator. However, the wait seemed to be forever as the elevator took its time coming down to take its oncomers.

The elevator doors finally slid open and a student walked out. He froze, however, as his eyes laid on Squall. Nervously, he darted his gaze away and ran off before anyone could speak.

"Great," Rinoa sighed, "He might alert to everyone now."

"More reason to hurry," Seifer shrugged, shuffling in the elevator first.

"All right," Rinoa said, looking around to make sure everyone was securely in, "Let's get up there."

She pressed the button to the third floor, and the machine hummed gently as it began its journey upwards. Rayna looked around nervously as if the silence was beginning to intimidate her. Rinoa took these short moments to steal another glance at the strange girl with the eyes that had seemed to capture and toyed with her soul. Who is she? And why has she not spoken anything yet? And who is that man with her, also? She looked away, shaking her head and deciding to not ask any questions for now. They will reveal it all with the Headmaster, she was sure.

"Squall, you all right?" Laguna asked, which snapped Rinoa out of her thoughts again.

She glanced back at him, the man that she has shared so much with, including her heart and soul. But now, who was he anymore? Was he still a part of her? Can she still feel his heart beat in rhythm with hers as they used to? Something was different about him.

"Hmmm," Squall nodded without a word, as always.

Rinoa almost had to stifle a giggle. Typical Squall.

The elevator bell chimed and the doors slid open again. Before them was the door to the Headmaster's office.

"Well?" Rinoa said, stepping out and gesturing to the door, "Shall we?"

Everyone stayed put. It was as if the silence of the elevator ride has sucked dry of all the energy within each of them. Or perhaps the view of the Headmaster's office has finally made the realization sink in that this was no small matter. They were warriors, but they were also humans, and humans I do /I tend to hesitate and procrastinate when the final moments come near.

Squall sighed and stepped out after her. However, he ignored her gaze and continued towards the office. She nodded to no one and turned back to gesture for everyone else to follow.

The Headmaster was sitting on his desk, signing some paperwork as his morning routine, as always. A cup of steaming coffee was set on his right side. Squall cleared his throat.

Headmaster Cid looked up suddenly, as if he was snapped out of his daydream. For a long minute, he stared. He stared up at the student that he thought he would never see alive again, the student that he has come to think of as a son he never had. No one dared to speak.

"Well…" Rinoa finally broke the silence.

"Rinoa," Cid turned to her, shaking his head as if to clear a headache, "What is this?"

Before she could answer, he threw down his pen and got up to proceed to Squall. He stood before his student, trying hard to search in his eyes for his purpose to come back. And then, before he realized it, he had pulled Squall into an unconscious hug. The action was light, and quick, however, as he knew Squall did not take a liking to physical contact.

"Squall, you've come back," he said, but the statement came out as more of a question.

"Yes," he nodded nonchalantly, "We have come with a request."

"Let's just be blunt," Seifer said.

"THIRD WAR," Fujin added.

"I see," Cid looked to Rinoa, "Rinoa here has given me her viewpoints on this already. Perhaps the puzzles are starting to fit."

Cid leaned on his desk and folded his arms.

"Ultimecia was never dead," Laine spoke up.

"Who are these bunches with you?" Cid frowned.

"I'm sorry," Laine laughed, "My manners, where are they? I am Laine, and this is my sister, Chriselle."

Chriselle bowed a little in respect to Cid, otherwise, said nothing.

"I see," Cid nodded.

"This is Rayna," Seifer gestured to her.

"She's a doctor, ya," Raijin spoke for the first time.

"Ah, Raijin," Cid said tonelessly, "It's like old times again."

He stopped, and seemed to scan the room for the first time.

"President Laguna," he nodded towards his direction, concealing his surprise at seeing the presence of the president of Esthar himself, "Pleasure."

"No time for formalities," Laguna batted it off, "We need your support."

"That will be no trouble," Cid shook his head, "Esthar and Balamb are still on good terms, I believe?"

"Of course," Laguna nodded.

"Please," Cid said, "Inform me of what has went on since I have last turned my back."

"I have already told him a bit," Rinoa began, eyeing around, "He has allowed me access to the database. And it was just as I feared."

"Yes?" Laguna urged.

"Lukre is no ordinary human," she nodded, "So is his sister. LaeRana and LukEtan."

"Strange names they are," Laguna pondered.

"Derived from the roots of the ancient language of the Lexanians," Chriselle chimed in.

"Young lady?" Cid frowned.

"I am sorry," Chriselle shook her head, "My manners is ill."

"Who are you two?" Cid asked.

"We would like to keep our identities as concealed as possible…" Laine began.

"They are to trust," Squall interrupted, "If we are to form alliance, we must know everything about each other in order to form strong cooperation."

Rinoa smiled a little. There goes Squall again, with his Commander tone.

"Very well," Laine sighed, "We carry the remaining strengths of the Guardian Phoenix, our last wish at life."

"Our Kingdom was vanquished 200 years ago," Chriselle continued, "The Kingdom of Lexania, where I was Princess and my brother was Prince."

"Of course, Ultimecia reigned even back then," Laine nodded.

"Wait a minute," Seifer cut in, "If those two's names were in the ancient tongues of the Lexanians, then doesn't it mean…?"

"Yes," Chriselle nodded, "Ultimecia came from our time. In fact, all magic originated from our Kingdom. However, we do not use magic for conflict. We make good use of it and therefore, bond strong relationships with other Kingdoms. Many others look up for us as their saviors for we have an unbound limit of magic."

"Ultimecia, however, was a black sheep in our herd. She practiced the art of the Dark Magic. She became overly obsessed. We left her alone, nobody paid her any mind, for she was just a futile, small threat in compare to our powerful Kingdom,"

"However, little did we know she began to take up the art of junctioning Guardians as well. Griever, his name was,"

"Griever," Squall murmured.

"Yes, with Griever, she was untouchable," Laine shook his head and closed his eyes momentarily, "None of us stood a chance. But my sister and I refused to give up our Kingdom and the vengeance we swore for our people."

As the two continued on, Rinoa stole another glance at Squall. He has, by now, leaned against the wall. Either for support or he just wanted to get more comfortable, it was hard to tell with the continued determined gaze in his blue eyes. She shifted her attention back to the story.

"I called upon Phoenix as a last resort," Chriselle nodded, "With everything I had left, Phoenix was able to junction its last life source into us. We had to put an end to this, because we knew with the magic flowing in her, she was bound to cause more havoc with her immortal life."

"And you see the price," Laine finished, heaving a long sigh.

The room fell into silence, as if everyone was waiting to hear more of the interesting, breath-taking, and unbelievable story.

"She was torn of all her emotions," Laine explained, "But in turn, the Phoenix fed her with so much power and magic, that I dare say, perhaps she is even stronger than me."

"Then it is perfect," Rinoa interrupted, "We have very powerful allies who specialize in the art of magic as well."

"Earth Master, at your service," Laine smiled.

"Air Master," Chriselle said blankly.

"But lady," Laine continued, "We won't be around for long."

"Excuse me?" Cid frowned.

"You see," Laine began to pace the room, "We lived on, fueled with vengeance and a life source that does not belong to us. Therefore, it is as if we have a debt to pay."

"We pay when it ends," Chriselle added.

"Finally, the search for Ultimecia is over," Laine sighed as if releasing a weight from his shoulder, "But who was to know that someone else has already taken care of her."

"Yes," Chriselle turned to Squall and looked at him in the eyes, "We felt powerful magical sources when you all engaged in your final battle against the Sorceress. However, we knew something was wrong."

"Yes, it should not be that easy to kill her," Laine said, "We knew something was wrong."

"LaeRana and LukEtan," Rinoa nodded, "Her remaining spirits and power split in two."

"They have already proceeded to eliminating Squall out of the picture," Cid said, "With him on the wanted poster, of course he will no longer be the hero in our eyes."

"We b will /b fix that, right?" Laguna eyed him carefully.

"Of course," Cid said, "Of course, messages have already been sent around."

"We have a problem, however," Rinoa said, turning to Squall. Suddenly, she frowned. There were beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Hmmm?" Squall raised an eyebrow.

"Both of them have escaped from Garden,"

"So we saw," Seifer smirked.

"I see,"

"What now?" Laine asked.

"We must figure out a way to defeat her," Seifer said, "Or 'those two'."

"There is a way," Chriselle informed.

"Ah, speak," Cid said.

"Well, since she has begun with the power from Griever…" Chriselle started.

Suddenly, a thud sounded from the far corner of the room. All attention focused on Chriselle broke off and turned towards the source of the noise. Squall was facedown on his stomach, and the beads of sweat began to travel across his cheek.

"Squall!"

Rinoa could not recognize her own voice. Was it her screaming? Or was it a trapped voice from within that was too afraid to speak out.

It was too afraid to speak, even for the man she love.

It was too afraid to speak, therefore sending him on the run.

It was too afraid to speak, when she was the one who should have believed in him.

What has she done?

What I will /I she do?

br 

Update: Sorry for not updating for soooo long. Wow…3 years, has it been? Damn, where did the time all go? Wow…ahaha.

Let's just say I'm just finally beginning to get my life back in order after all the chaos, financially, emotionally, and physically.

And my passion for writing has returned D


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